Stars Realigned
by DisneyMuse
Summary: Gideon came to Gravity Falls expecting magic, mystery and adventure. But he may have gotten more than he could handle once he stood in the way of the Pines Twins' plans. Something is amiss in Gravity Falls- and more so than the usual supernatural happenings. People are in the wrong places. Fates have been reversed. Who or what is responsible, and what are the consequences?
1. A Step Too Far

Note: This story takes place in the Reverse Falls AU. If you don't know what that means, it's the idea of what if the roles in Gravity Falls were switched around. Mabel and Dipper perform at the Tent of Telepathy, while Gideon and Pacifica work at and protect the Mystery Shack. Past that, the interpretation varies from person to person. Check out the Reverse Falls or Reverse Pines tag on Tumblr for more info. But even if you don't know anything else, this would still be a great place to start! This fanfic is my take on the Reverse Falls AU starting from the beginning. Enjoy!

* * *

Many people wondered what went on within the mysterious old shack deep within the woods. They knew it was the home of Stanley and Stanford Pines, but they could only dream of what actually occurred there. Strange creatures could be seen wandering about the shack's perimeter. Eerie lights could be seen from far in the distance on multiple occasions. But the closer you tried to look, the less they'd begin to understand. For those that dared to take a peek, they could find themselves running away from a terrible monster, be in another part of the forest in the blink of an eye, or sometimes even wake up in their own beds with no memory of what happened over the past twenty-four hours. What the townsfolk had dubbed "The Mystery Shack" did not seem to invite the friendliest of company. But the secrets it held were not for everyone's eyes.

The Shack was currently more active than ever. Stanley Pines could feel the buzz of energy in the air. The blue glow was brightly visible from the windows, even though the summer sun still hung in the air. Stan felt himself growing lighter as he tried to put each foot in front of the other. He couldn't stop no matter how much it felt like the world was falling apart. When he reached the porch, he found himself floating off the ground entirely. His arm wrapped around one of the support beams trying to stay grounded. However, it was only a few seconds before gravity took control once again. Stan slumped down to the ground, trying to pull himself together. He took a quick glance at his watch- 6:18. But it wasn't the hour that was important as much as the second hand. Still ticking forward. Even if gravity was still slacking on the job, time seemed to still be moving forward. He wasn't too late yet.

As Stan burst into the Shack he saw how disorganized things had gotten. Blueprints and diagrams were scattered across every table or surface. Even walls had equations scribbled on them with chalk or carved into the wooden planks. Small gadgets and gizmos were scattered all around- some half-finished, others letting off an eerie buzz that Stan didn't dare get close to for fear of being electrocuted. Stanley was hardly the neat twin of the two Stans, but this was ridiculous. This was more than his brother getting into one of his "moods". This had gone too far. He'd been gone for too long. He could only hope that there was still a way to make things right.

Stan rushed to where the hidden door to the underground lab was. He'd been the one to suggest hiding the entrance with a vending machine. All the heavy metal doors and secret codes did you no good if people could tell from walking into your living room that you were hiding something. Better to be clever and hide the entrance in plain sight. Instead of looking like some sort of mad scientist, it was just a sign of wealth, status and overall laziness to have a vending machine in their own home. But before he could even put in the code, he realized that it was swung wide open. Ford was either being careless, didn't have enough time, or didn't expect to be bothered. But there wasn't time to waste wondering which it was or what combination.

Stan ran down the stairs, not caring about the lack of a light source. He'd been down here hundreds of times. Enough to know each step and where the elevator waited. This was supposed to be a place where they discovered the secrets of the supernatural together. A hidden workplace where mysterious entities became old friends. Where magic became a reality. He should have never let Ford start coming here alone. And now the rift between them was about to grow wider than ever.

The lab had changed vastly since Stan had last been down here. There were no more desks and tables scattered about with all kinds of implements ranging from those designed to test the components of a dragon's breath to those that could synthesize magically charged stones. There were no more supernatural creatures visiting for a chat about their culture or circles drawn upon the ground designed to summon and bring peace to lost spirits. Those were all gone. And a huge glowing portal stood in their place.

Stan wasn't even sure exactly what this was supposed to be. He knew that McGucket had started working on this doohickey with him. Some kind of portal to all the answers they could want about Gravity Falls. But McGucket hadn't been assisting him for a couple of months now. He hadn't even begun to describe how far it had gone. He could recognize the inventor's handiwork as well as his brother's on the center console. But the sight he saw beyond the glass? The huge triangle shaped portal engraved with strange symbols… the set of almost blinding beams of light beside it… and what looked like some kind of window into space in the center. It looked… otherworldly. It certainly looked like it could bring about the end of their world as well.

Stan looked all around the viewing area for something that could help shut this thing down. But he knew that messing with the machinery could just as easily have catastrophic consequences. He looked at the red digits ticking down on the timer above him. There was still plenty of time with hours on the clock before the device was at full power. He could still try reasoning with his brother. Even if he'd gone this far in… he had to know the consequences. There still had to be a way to turn back. And yet there in front of the portal fixed in place as if in a trance was Stanford Pines. The man that would change the world. For better or worse.

Stanley rushed out of the viewing area and called out to his brother. "Ford!"

But there was no response. The man still remained fixed, staring up at the portal, only barely behind a caution line drawn on the ground. "Come on- at least talk to me, Sixer!" Stan yelled out.

"We're all just pieces on the board… not even pawns… we can't even begin to fathom the game being played." Stanford spoke aloud. Stanley wasn't even sure if his brother was talking to him, or had gone mad and started talking to himself.

Stanley put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Alright Ford, that's enough. We need to shut this portal thing down."

An eerie chuckle escaped Stanford's lips. "A portal? Is that all you think this is?" Stanford finally turned around to face his brother. The light from the cylinders of blue energy were reflected on his glasses. Stanley had known his twin his entire life, yet his brother's face seemed almost impossible to read. Was that joy? Curiosity? Madness.

Stanford lifted his arm indicating to the device and all its wonder. "This is a chance. A way to break the ties that bind our world. We wouldn't just be expanding our knowledge- we'd be breaking all the limits imposed on us. More than human. More than immortal. We could do things we couldn't even begin to imagine."

"And apparently, we could also start the apocalypse and have reality as we know it collapse." Stanley interrupted. "The fact that I'm the one saying this thing is too dangerous- Stanley 'Sharp objects and explosives make everything better' Pines- should tell you something." Stan insisted. He didn't care if this thing could shoot out gold and bring world peace. If this thing had even a chance of bringing an end to the world, then it needed to end here and now. He crossed his arms, wondering if any of this even mattered to his brother.

But Ford didn't even flinch at the mention. He already knew the risks. "I've taken that all into account. But this is bigger than our world…. 13.2 billion years. Our galaxy is so young. We're so relatively tiny in the grand scheme of things… This is our chance to start something new. We won't be anyone's pawns. We won't be puppets of fate. Stanley, you can't even begin to imagine how little our lives mean right now. Even if we had every answer we've been seeking, we couldn't even begin to start asking the right questions. The death of our universe may come in another trillion years, and none of it would mean anything. But _this_ -" Stanford said motioning to the portal. " _This_ could make our entire existence worthwhile."

Hearing the way Ford talked only got Stan angrier. "None of it means anything?" He questioned. "None of those dreams we had as kids about discovering the mysteries of this town? That means nothing? What about all the supernatural beings that we promised to help once we started to understand who they were? What about the promise to open the world's eyes? To make them see that this world is so much weirder than they can begin to imagine. What about that?" He yelled. How could his brother just throw everything away like this, and say it didn't matter.

"What about me?" Stanley asked. If none of that even mattered to Ford, would he at least believe in him? "I'm your brother... doesn't that mean anything?"

Stanford closed his eyes and considered it for a moment. These things did have value to him… but he didn't have an answer for him. He could only redirect the question in hopes that maybe Stanley would see things his way.

"Who told you that this 'portal' was so dangerous? You'd have been here months ago if Fiddleford was the one that warned you. And he didn't say anything about the apocalypse… so who was it Stanley?"

Stan flinched, knowing that the source wasn't exactly a trustworthy one. But the fact that _he_ was the one that warned him… that had to make it even worse, right?

Ford chuckled, knowing he was right. If his brother wasn't going to say it, then he would. "Bill Cipher. The beast with one eye. You're really going to trust in the whisperings of a demon over your own brother?"

"It's not like that, and you know it, Stanford! He's right, isn't he? This thing is going to lead to the end of the world. Why would he warn me if even he was scared of what you're doing down here?" Stan retorted.

Stanford raised his arms in the air. "That's my point! Don't you get it? He's manipulating us- all of this is just a game to him! He's already seen the end and has decided to change the script. Whatever he's telling you, it's only to serve his own needs. I'm through with all of us just playing our parts. It's time for us to write our own story."

Stanley stood there stunned, not sure what route to take. On one hand, he knew his brother was right. They couldn't trust Bill. He shouldn't have let the triangle lead him down this far. But even so, they couldn't just risk their own world for a chance to get back at him. There was too much at stake. There had to be another way. "Stanford… please… I promised I was going to stop you from doing this."

What may have sounded as a heartfelt plea, caused Ford to click the pieces of the puzzle in his head. This wasn't just trying to talk him down. His brother had already been set on putting an end to this before he'd even walked through the door. And a promise meant so much more than maybe even Stan realized.

"You promised… Bill? Stanley… did you make a deal with him?"

Stanley stumbled as a force shook his body down to its core. But the being had some practice working in a human body over the last few decades. And the laughter that begun to emerge from it began to strike a nerve within Stanford. He would have taken a step back if he didn't know it would mean him getting sucked into the portal above. When Stan opened his eyes again, silt pupils stared back at Ford.

"Thought you finally got the best of me, huh, Sixer? I've been playing this game long before your universe's molecules even decided to atom up! You really thought you could turn the tables on me? Ha!" A nasally voice chuckled from Stan's mouth. How he had even managed to get a sound like that to come out of the man's vocal cords like that was a wonder to Ford.

Ford tried to figure out how it was possible in his head. The most Bill should have been able to do now was send out a few nightmares. Making a deal… Stanford had taken the precautions. "Impossible… you should be bound…"

"And what's a binding without a few loopholes? Sorry, Sixer! Even if you've got me feeling a little blue, you're going to have to try a little harder than that to get one up on me!" He said with a smirk.

The blue that had replaced the white of Stan's eyes wasn't just a reflection of the glow of the portal. Bill had to admit, Sixer had done quite a number on him. He messed with the very fabric of Bill's being. He'd taken more than just his signature golden color. He'd imposed his every will on the dream demon. For all intents and purposes, he should have been Ford's slave, marked by Bill's new blue complexion. But Bill had made enough deals to know how to find a way out of this one.

Ford tried to step aside from the portal- he knew exactly where this was going. But that only caused Bill-ley to take a step closer. He didn't need to see the future to know what happened next. He could see it written on the grin on his possessed brother's face.

"Bill… isn't this what you wanted from the beginning? Why are you doing this? You'll be sucked in too!" Ford shouted.

Bill only let out a chuckle. "You have no idea what I've got in mind. Oh sure- maybe I'll be off this plane of existence for about thirty years or so. But it's worth it to get you out of the picture. And believe me- this time, you won't be part of the retake."

Stanford looked his old friend in the eyes… his brother… now both his enemies. He thought he'd beaten Bill. But it seemed like things were still going according to his plans. No… he wouldn't let this be the end of it. His foot drifted behind the yellow and black line. Was this really to be his fate?

"…You made a huge mistake, Bill. You wanted to change the ending? This entire world is going to be like nothing you could ever have predicted."

Stanford kicked off the ground and jumped backward into the portal. He could feel it pulling him in, but he didn't resist. If he was going out, at least he was doing it of his own choosing. The light grew brighter as Stanford's trench coat made contact with the portal's opening. There was a final burst of light as the portal claimed its victim, leaving only a slowly dying blue glow.

Bill watched as Stanford accepted his doom. Even though he didn't have much of a choice, Bill admitted he didn't expect him to jump into it so full heartedly. Didn't Sixer know? An unpredictable future was exactly what Bill was hoping for. Bill's cackles echoed through the basement.

"Hehe! You Pines Twins! I don't know if you're either complete idiots or reality's attempt to kill me with laughter!" He called out with glee as he watched the portal began to fizzle out. It couldn't stay stable after a living being just jumped into it. Especially before it was even fully functional. Soon, Bill's link to this reality would be broken and he'd no longer be able to hold onto Stanley's body. But man, was this going to be interesting!

"See ya later 3rd Dimension! Next time I see you, there better be a whole new show going on! Wouldn't want to have screwed up this reality for nothing! Awe, who am I kidding- that's all part of the fun!"

When Stanley regained control of his body, he couldn't stop his hands from trembling. He'd seen everything from the mindscape. He'd wanted to stop his brother from doing anything crazy. Not… this. He may not have pushed his brother in. But he might as well have. Stan looked up at the portal, now just a huge piece of junk. This couldn't be the end of it. His brother couldn't be gone…. This couldn't have been what Bill wanted. He refused to accept what had just happened.

"I don't care who's been playing who or how much of a mess this world is going to be by the time we're all through… I'm dragging both of you lunatics back here! Whether you like it or not!"

* * *

Pdb idwhv eh uhyhuvhg wr iuhh wkhvh vrxov

Wkh flufoh eh eurnhq wr fkdqjh wkhlu urohv

/ Φ \

Zm vmwovhh ivzorgb mld hvvnh hl hnzoo

Sld mvzihrtsgvw szh gsv vbv yvxlnv gszg lmxv hzd zoo?

* * *

Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed! While my other fanfic, De Stella Nova are a series of one-shot describing important moments in various Reverse Falls characters lives (And a bit more experimental with the writing style) this one will proceed more like a narrative. Some events may proceed like in the show and won't be focused on or skipped over, but others will go along completely different. Reverse Falls isn't just the same events with different faces, or even "What would Dipper and Mabel do as Pacifica and Gideon" and vice versa. Growing up under different circumstances, changing who they are leads to different scenarios with the same elements. At their core, they still share traits with their canon counterparts, but the new surroundings lead to a new interpretation on these characters. Please let me know what you think so far or if you have any questions and share your own interpretations on the Reverse Falls canon!

Also, if this is your first time reading this story, this prologue was added in 3 chapters in after I first wrote it. It won't change how you read the story, but it will mean the comments for the first few chapters are shifted (IE, people will be talking about chapter 2 in chapter 1, chapter 3 in chapter 2 and so on. Hopefully beyond this, everything should go normally.


	2. Unwelcome

Gravity Falls... a place shrouded in mystery. It's not on most maps, and some even say it's a myth. It was the place where Stanley and Stanford Pines supposedly grew up in, discovered all kinds of oddities in it's woods, and attempted to share those secrets of the world. Big Foot, fairies, witches- they were all real. You just needed to keep your eyes open and know where to look. Or so they claimed. Most people that had even heard the town's name passed the stories aside as an attempt to draw up tourism. Others took one uneventful hike in the creepy old woods, declared it a myth busted, and turned around- barely missing the hide-behind following them. But the locals never spoke of the oddities in the woods or went on random hikes. They knew better than that. Either one good scare would keep them out of those woods forever, or they could never remember having seen anything suspicious going around town. Even if the town had started to become well known when the Pines Bros. were in their prime, decades later the town had faded back into anonymity.

Gideon Gleeful though refused to believe that myths were all false. He knew the supernatural was out there, and he wanted to see it all. Looking into the car's side mirror, he adjusted his ball cap, trying to tuck in his locks of white hair that kept poking out. Still, while the hat didn't always cover up his hair, the Pines Bros. ball cap with their old Pine Tree logo was his most valued possession. It wasn't particularly rare or valuable, but to Gideon, it was a symbol that magic was alive and well in the world. And the woods of Gravity Falls were supposed to be chock full of the supernatural! And he was going to be moving there today!

Gideon couldn't stop grinning as he sat in his seat. The trip had lasted a few hours, but they had gone by quickly with visions of ghosts and gremlins dancing in his head. Oh he knew it might take a while to hunt one down. Probably would be dangerous... but could you imagine being face to face with a flock of fairies in flight?! Who cared what kind of danger there was when adventure and wonder were waiting!

Bud couldn't help sharing in his son's enthusiasm. After all, this whole business venture into Gravity Falls was his idea! While his son tried to recapture the magic the Pines Bros. shared with the world, Bud reveled in their theatrics. The feeling of seeing his first show when he was a kid was something he'd never forgotten- and something he'd probably never experience again due to the vast change in the Pines Bros. style. Sometime around the mid 80's, their shows went from mystical acts that were eye opening and shocking to something more... family friendly. Not that there was anything wrong with that... but lion tamers and tight rope walkers weren't the act that Bud had fallen in love with. They weren't the kind of performance that made you question the limits of reality or what was lingering in the corner of your eye. Sure, maybe it gave some people nightmares and wasn't meant for the faint of heart, but not all of the supernatural was child-like wonder! But that didn't mean the young- and the young of heart- couldn't handle it. Just look at his son! He was eating all that mystery stuff right up!

But even if the golden days of the Pines Bros circus were behind them, that didn't mean they couldn't recapture some of the glory days. Bud prided himself on being a memorabilia collector. From old posters to props said to have once been used to control swarms of fire-locust, he had some of everything. And now, what was once a overly eccentric hobby (that his wife was constantly urging him to stop splurging on) was now going to be a successful business venture. And in one of the most famous locations in Pines Bros. history at that! The Mystery Shack!

However, when Bud's car pulled in to the clearing with the old shack and the totem pole with barely any paint left on it's carved surface, the biggest mystery Gideon was wondering was how the place was still standing. You could practically hear the creaking of the decrepit structure just from the sight of it. Gideon reluctantly stepped out of the car and tried to re-evaluate his expectations. Alright, so maybe he set the bar a bit too high. His father may have talked about the place like it was some kind of national landmark, but realistically the place hadn't been touched in decades. It was bound to be falling apart. And they had gotten an extremely good deal on the place... what were they expecting? Some fancy celebrity mansion? Where was the mystery in that anyways? Even if the old shack was hardly up to building code, the Gleefuls were determined to whip it into shape!

Bud hadn't seemed as discouraged as Gideon was by the sight of the state of the old Shack. If anything, it just meant that this place was that much more preserved! This was a piece of history he was looking at! "Come on, son! Let's check it out!"

Gideon skeptically looked at the Shack, not sure if that was a good idea. He'd been just about ready to hunt down some monsters but the idea of getting crushed under the weight of a heap of rotted wood was not exactly how he wanted to leave this world. But he'd need to screw his courage to the sticking plate if he was going to make it in this town! There'd be much more to fear than an old (possibly haunted) house! And he was going to have to live in there, so best to get all those thoughts of getting buried alive in the rubble out of his head now.

The planks of wood on the porch creaked out of place as Gideon and Bud made their approach. But it still held their weight. So far so good! While the door looked like it was half falling off, the lock and hinge seemed to open no problem. A loud ringing went through the air as Bud shuffled through his pockets to pull out the code to disable the security system. It seemed to be the only thing well managed in this place. There was a thick caking of dust from the ceiling to floor. Gideon didn't even want to imagine the number of spiders that must be calling this place home with all the cobwebs he spotted. The young boy tried to put the thought of his mind as he stepped over the threshold of the house. A shiver ran down his spine as he felt as if the very air seemed to be probing every hair on his body. But as soon as it had touched him, the pressure released. What was that about? His father hadn't seemed to have noticed anything as he finally managed to get the ringing to stop. Was it just the musty old air of this place?

The electricity seemed to still be running too. As Gideon flipped the light switch, he expected it to be flickering eerily to fit the tone of the room. And while the lightbulb looked just as old as everything in this place, it shown as brightly as if it were brand new. Apparently it didn't get the whole 'spooky old house' memo. As Gideon looked around the living area, he had to wonder why there was even a security system in place. Nothing in here could possibly be worth stealing. There were oodles of old books and scattered papers, rusted pieces of junk and all kinds of dead vermin. No valuables though. Gideon brushed aside some dust of a map that had been pinned to the wall. Although it was hard to tell it was a map with all the red symbols drawn over all the landscape. It didn't look to be any sort of language, yet Gideon knew he'd seen those symbols somewhere before. Yet they seemed off somehow. Gideon squinted, trying to figure out what it could be. His thoughts were interrupted by a loud pounding that jolted ever nerve in the young boy's body and caused him to jump a few feet in the air. Every hair was standing on it's end. He should have known this place would have a violent ghost or two!

But Bud only chuckled at his son's immediate fearful reaction. "Relax, boy! It's just the door. Looks like someone just wants to welcome us to the neighborhood!" Bud reassured him.

"Get off my property! This whole thing is a set up and you know it!" Shouted a loud and cranky voice.

Bud scratched his head and gave his son a nervous look. "Well... maybe not as happy of a welcome party. I'll get this all settled out." Bud reasoned as he made his way to the door.

Glancing through the dusty old window, the white-haired boy had trouble making out who was responsible for all the noise and commotion. Only a blue rapidly moving blur that seemed like it was ready to break the door down could be made out. Some kind of elderly man? Well… at least he seemed rather active for his age. Gideon was prepared to call up the cops to see if any family had their grandpa wander off in some kind of delirious state. Gideon glanced around the room, and managed to spot an old dial phone. Well, if the lights were working, hopefully the phone line was too. But before he could get the dust off and see if it still worked, Bud Gleeful seemed to take a much more cheery tone to their visitor.

Quickly, interrupting the newcomer mid-knock, Bud pulled the door wide open. "Why Stanford Pines! I do say, it is an honor to meet you." The elder Gleeful greeted. The old man was caught by surprise as the fist he was about to use to pound on the door once more was brought into an eager handshake.

Gideon dropped the receiver at the mention of the name. Stanford Pines? Was that really him? He rushed out to peek his head out into the entrance way. The fancy like-new blue suit and fez were a stark contrast against the wrinkled old man wearing them. The get up screamed Stanford Pines. Yet the angry old man within it screamed louder. Part of his hair seemed to have been combed back, but the summer heat seemed to have frazzled most of the grey out of place. Gideon hadn't seen any current photos of the man, but while he seemed to be losing the battle against time, he certainly kept his pride while doing it. Gideon was split between the excitement of seeing this living legend, and the confusion as to what he was doing behaving like a complete brute and riling up a storm.

Stan eyed the man confused. He was way too happy… he wasn't sure what he was expecting. Some corporate scum? A sleaze-ball in it for a quick buck? Or some collector that bought the place with plans on leaving it to rot. Heck, he'd brought his lock picking kit expecting to have to break his way in. Yet this guy was greeting him like he was some old friend

"Uh, do I know you, Bub?" Stan asked as he attempted to hide how off guard this guy caught him.

Bud gave out a chuckle and finally released Stan from his two-handed handshake "Oh, actually it's Bud! Bud Gleeful! But no, I can't say you've met me! But I've heard all about you! The famous Stanford Pines! I'm surprised you're not more used to this! I'm sure you've got people coming up to you all the time, asking for your autograph and wanting to take a picture with you! Which reminds me. Would you mind a quick one for me and my boy, Gideon here?"

Bud turned back to see Gideon peeking around the corner. He knew that curious look in his son's eye. Probably eager to figure out what was going on. Despite Stan's initial entrance, Bud was convinced he knew what was going on. He was just greeting his new neighbor and possibly even business partner! His initial outburst was probably all just some misunderstanding. Gideon was probably just shell shocked from seeing the man in person. Bud gave the young boy a wave to motion him to join them.

"This here is my pride and joy! My Lil' Gideon! The both of us are big fans of yours Stanford!" He gave his son a friendly pat on the head, indicating the worn out old Pine Tree ball cap that the younger Gleeful wore.

A little flash of red flushed in the boy's cheek. His father knew how embarrassing that nickname was! He already had enough people calling attention to his diminutive stature. Although it was hard to miss when he just barely stood past his father's waistline. Still, Gideon adjusted the brim of his hat with pride. It wasn't some souvenir that the kiddies brought back from some cliche day at the circus- this was the real deal. A sign that Gideon was an eager seeker of the supernatural. Sure, perhaps a bit nerdy and teased for it, but a true mystery hunter nonetheless!

Stan however didn't seem impressed. The wheels in his head began to turn as he sized the father and son up. Some kind of fanboys? Perhaps he was putting up a fuss for nothing. This could be an easier deal to swing than he thought.

"Didn't think there were any fans left out there. Especially of mine." Stan admitted as a smirk began to appear on his face. He certainly hadn't had any attention in a while- at least the good kind.

Stan kept his statements brief as he tried to test the waters. How much did they know? How much would they be willing to do? Stan briefly looked over the contract before he came. This old place hardly went for much. But despite its worn out appearance, he knew it could have been sold for much more. It was a hasty deal made to slide quickly under his nose. Barely legal. It probably wouldn't have gone through in anywhere but Gravity Falls. This guy in front of him could be part of the scheme. Or he could just be some dolt that his no good relatives picked out to infuriate him even more.

Bud grinned and nodded. "Oh yes! Believe me, the whole reason I came out here was because of your great work! Hold on- let me just get my camera out of my car! I'll be back in a jiffy!" He exclaimed as he fumbled to get his keys out of his pocket and rush to his car as quickly as his legs would take him.

Gideon stood there, staring up at Stanford Pines trying to take it all in. This was one of the men that brought the golden era of the Pines Bros. Circus. Oh sure, there were a few unsavory rumors and he was hardly the one that stood in the center stage, but he was still a legend nonetheless. The Pines Brothers had brought magic into the world, revealed fantastical creatures and performed the impossible nightly. Stanford was said to be a magician without peer… both figuratively and literally. He rarely appeared on stage, making it hard to rank him among the likes of Houdini or Copperfield. Stanford had remained mostly in Gravity Falls while the rest of the troupe went on tour. Supposedly perfecting his magic. Although those that had claimed to have seen him perform… well the resulting audience ranged from child-like wonder to borderline insanity. He was the enigma behind the Pines Bros. circus. Making Gideon once again ask: Why was he here?

The entire deal had seemed kind of suspicious to Gideon from the beginning. A quick google search could reveal his father as the top collector and fanatic of Pines memorabilia- although there wasn't exactly much competition. Even when the circus had fallen far from what it was in its glory days, he still hung on. What was once an experience of a lifetime was now some cheap brand name used to sell some quick tickets. Most of their customers were now parents eager to give their children the usual classic circus treatment. Buy them oodles of popcorn and cotton candy, see an elephant balance on a ball and maybe a man getting shot out of a canon. And that's exactly what they got… only much lower budget and probably the most generic show on earth. Enough to keep the name alive as the first thing people thought of when they heard the word 'Circus', but hardly the kind of magical place that his father remembered seeing when he was a boy. Gideon grew up hearing stories of Minotaur's wrestling atop a bed of coals! Of how swarms of fairies would let the audience take flight! How they didn't just have some normal old fire breathing routine- they'd pick a kid from the audience and teach them how to bend the elements to their will! That was the Pines name that his father wanted to remember.

Which is why it seemed so odd for this place to have been offered up on a silver platter. The original home of the Pines Brothers. Fallen into disrepair, and hardly of historical importance, but that hardly made it just some old shack. The Gleefuls could only dream of how the brothers must have built all kinds of hidden passageways and secrets within the tiny little cottage. And while few would agree with him on how valuable the Mystery Shack really was, for the price he paid… well, it was quite the bargain. It still took most of his pop's life savings, but Gideon had been 99% sure that this was some sort of scam up until the day his father went to sign the papers. Despite all his skepticism there was Robert Pines, the multimillionaire who joined the ranks of those celebrities famous for being famous and current owner of the Pines Bros. Circus name. And while he was sure the man was busy and probably just had better things to do, the whole thing seemed extremely rushed. They hadn't even seen the property until today. And most of the previous owner's belongings hadn't even been removed. If it weren't for the electricity and alarm still running, Gideon would have assumed no one even poked their nose in here since the Pines Brothers moved out in the 80's. It was a miracle the place was still standing. Gideon had actually been a twinge relieved that it was in such disarray- maybe that was the catch. The Pines just wanted to quickly get it off their hands before anyone realized what a dump it looked like. If that was all, Gideon would still consider it a lucky break. Yet here in front of him seemed to be the real snag… Stanford Pines.

Gideon tried to think of something to say as he stood there alone with the man. He knew his father would be back in less than 30 seconds, but maybe he should say something? Complement him for inspiring him with his work? Ask him all kinds of questions about his success? The big question of what he was doing here and why he seemed ready to huff and puff the door down a few moments ago?

Yet all Gideon managed to say was. "Nice place ya' got here." Gideon said to try and break the silence

Stan gave out a chuckle. The kid looked like he was bamboozled, but in a much different way than his father. He could see it in his eyes- all the questions that must be bubbling up in his little head. He hadn't seen that look since his niblets were half his age. Come to think of it, he looked just a little younger than them. He doubted they would get along or anything, but it was funny imagine what they'd do to a pipsqueak like him.

"Don't get too comfortable. Wouldn't even bother unpacking if I was you." The old man remarked as he leaned on his cane with a smug grin on his face.

Gideon frowned. Not exactly the friendliest response. I mean, it's not like Gideon had said much in the first place. Like asking "How's the weather"… only for the response to be "Bad enough to leave town". Gideon wasn't sure what Stanford Pines was supposed to be like. But couldn't he at least try and be civil? He made it clear already that he didn't want them there when he pounded on their door. But this whole deal meant a lot to his father. He was getting a chance to live his dream. And now this cranky old man was telling them to hit the road before they even started. That wasn't any way to treat any body.

"My daddy's been really looking forward to coming here… hate to turn around now. Why don't ya' give us a chance?" Gideon asked with a smile wide enough to show off his dimples. He may not like the fact that he looked like some adorable doll with cheeks no grandma could resist pinching, but he sure knew how to use it to his advantage. Adults usually ate that cutesy stuff up.

A scoff escaped Stan's lips. "Going to have to try harder than that. I got over the whole baby face and puppy dog routine years ago. You can have your little photo opp. I'll even throw in an autograph. But you wasted your time coming here. I'm doing you a favor. This town- it will eat up a couple of nice chumps like you and your old man. Literally."

Stan looked just as smug and confident when Bud returned, holding the Polaroid camera. Did Stanford not understand who he was dealing with? They weren't some misplaced package to be marked 'return to sender'. They were real people! And his fans at that! They greatly respected him! He didn't expect him to return the favor. But was it too much to ask to be treated with some dignity?

The goofy grin on Bud's face was almost enough to make Stan feel guilty for shoving these two off. Almost. Still, this was just some sap that got duped by his least favorite rotten apple of the Pines family tree. He didn't even realize what he'd gotten in the middle of. Just smile for the camera, let him sniffle a bit, maybe write him a check for his troubles, and then everything would go back to normal. Or as normal as it could around this place.

"Gideon, you can go first, and then you can take one of me and Stanford!" Bud exclaimed as he held up the camera. "Smile and say cheese!"

With one arm, Stan pulled Gideon in close- a little too close for Gideon's liking. He could smell the terrible cologne off of the man. Gideon's tried to manage a smile. For his father's sake. But as awkward as he felt, he knew that he wasn't going to let this man get the better of him. They were here to stay- no matter who or what had anything to say about it.

* * *

D rog krph ehfrphv qhz zlwk iuhvk idfhv

Exw qrqh ri wkh sodbhuv duh lq wkhlu surshu sodfhv

/ Φ \

Gsv hglib ivhfnvh drgs gsv hgzih ivzortmvw

Yfg rm ivtziwh gl gsv ufgfiv, vevm gsv vbv rh yormw


	3. Beware What Lies Between The Pines

Pacifica Northwest- Pines Prevention Patrol.

…Or at least, a patrol of one.

No one seemed to believe the young Northwest when she said that there was something off about the Pines. Not any of that circus junk that the rich pair of Pines parents were pushing. She was talking about the Pines that lay in wait within the Tent of Telepathy. From child prodigies to self-made performers, the two had captured the hearts of all the townsfolk of Gravity Falls.

All but one.

At first, it was just a persisting annoyance with their family. She first went to the Tent of Telepathy in order to clear up that misconception. That it didn't matter what jerks their parents were. They were completely different people! Mabel and Dipper Pines couldn't be that bad. But she was wrong. They could be much worse. She'd never forget the chill she felt when she first entered the Tent of Telepathy. And while she still hadn't been able to figure out the secret behind their tricks, she could see right past the looks on their faces. Fakers. Liars. Puppetmasters. They had the whole town cheering for their act. A harmless magic show designed to entertain, or something more sinister?

But Paz wasn't going to let a bad feeling be her only proof. After all, they were performers- putting on an act was part of a job. But the more she looked into it, the more suspicious occurrences popped up. Those that had volunteered for a simple trick left the stage looking like they were ready to collapse. "Drained from all the excitement" was the line often used. But what were they really doing to the innocents that stepped within their 'Magic Box of Mystery'? Even the most hyper child powered by large amounts of soda and cotton candy seemed ready to take a nap by the time the trick was finished. Paz hadn't seen any sorts of vampire bite marks or physical evidence left on their unknowing victims, but she was willing to bet some kind of soul sucking was going on.

More than just on the stage, things would sometimes go missing from the pockets of their audience. Every sideshow has its pickpockets, but it never seemed to be money that went missing. A set of keys here, an ID there, or a shirt or jacket that they could have sworn they took off for only a second. The person would notice its absence at the end of the show, go looking around, and find their belongings tossed about in the parking lot.

Paz had tried to keep a careful watch over the audience to catch the Pines in the act. She could have sworn she caught a turquoise-green glimmer slide across a man's back pocket. But before she could even see what the object was, the glow disappeared under the benches. Like the rest, only noticing his cell phone missing at the end of the show. Frantically looking around for it, once he finally borrowed a friend's to hopefully follow the ring tone he found it outside the border of the tent. Normal enough to look like he'd 'dropped it', but Paz knew they had to be doing something with all these little misplaced objects.

The list went on. Odd noises coming from the tent after hours, strange glowing in the dead of night and sometimes even less people leaving the tent than first entered. Something was going on. But Paz had to be careful who she told. For one mater, she'd look like some kind of paranoid rambling lunatic. Her family already had enough of that reputation. There was also the twins' manager- Stanford Pines. An enigma of his own right and most likely part of this whole scheme. The people with 'concerns' over the show were rare, but easily brushed off by the smooth talking show runner. Whether with words or a few bills changing hands, any noise complaints, questionable sights or other oddities just seemed to have been forgotten as soon as they were addressed. He may no longer be a stage magician like his great niece and nephew, but he sure knew how to make problems disappear.

Paz didn't know what they were planning or what their deal was, but if Gravity Falls had taught her anything it was that there was always something interesting behind the curtain. Her fingers were crossed for some kind of supernatural mafia complete with troll bodyguards and baby-demon hitmen… Not that any of this was a good thing! But she'd be lying if she said she didn't enjoy trying to uncover the conspiracy. The Tent of Telepathy show got more pretentious every time she sat through it, but it was all worth it just to find a single hair out of place.

Today Paz was checking in on what was sure to be a sinister sign- A family outing. The only person that followed the Pines more closely was the man literally paid to do it- Jesus "Soos" Ramirez. Handyman, bodyguard, personal assistant… no one was exactly sure what his job title was in his employment at the Tent of Telepathy. Or even if he was being paid with how much he seemed to enjoy the job. One of the things that he couldn't have possibly be paid to do was the "TeamTelepathy" fanblog. With how much he uploaded unhappy surprise pictures of the Pines family, you'd think he'd have been fired by now for violating their privacy. Yet the blog only seemed to increase the Pines' popularity, earning Soos the unofficial title of "publicity manager" as well.

Today's top post was a selfie with Soos in the Pines' limo driver's seat. The twins and Stan just seemed to be talking in the background, hinting that they probably hadn't noticed the impromptu picture. Soos just seemed to be excited about the three of them going out in public. No details on what they were doing, or if their driver even knew. But they hadn't exactly planed for any public appearance. While the twins were constantly driven around town by the large man-child, the presence of Stan was why Paz had woken up early to try and track the Pines down today. The old man was a recluse that hardly ever seemed to leave the Tent of Telepathy. According to the townsfolk, they'd been fairly certain he was either dead or some kind of hermit until he started his work as the twins' manager. Even after, his presence in town had been extremely restricted. What did the old man have to hide?

Paz was on her bike, trying her best to follow the limo from afar. 'Just trying to make sure they don't notice me tailing them' she insisted to herself. Not that she probably should work more on her cardio if she had a hard time keeping up with the vehicle on a simple bicycle. She'd been able to keep up with them well enough in town with the stoplights, but once the limo hit the dirt road leading to the outskirts of town, Paz had to stick with following the fresh tire tracks. That settles it- they had to be pulling some kind of shady deal. Where were they headed? Sliding some money for a corrupt politician beneath the water tower? Or some old cabin in the woods where they'd commit their most gruesome deeds? She just had to catch one glimpse on camera. The sweat continued to pour down her forehead as she attempted to pick up the speed. No way was she going to miss everything.

Paz had no idea where they were headed, but as she started to make out an old shack in a clearing in the woods, the murderous cabin of secrets theory began to become more and more likely. The limo was parked out front, and Paz could hear Stan before she saw him up on the front porch.

"Listen, Bub- if you really admire me as much as you say you do, you'll set this whole mess behind you and give me the deed. What kind of check do I have to write to make this all go away?" Stan demanded.

Paz's ears perked up with each word. Yes! This was just the kind of conspiracy she was looking for! Shifty money exchanging hands and attempts to make all of something 'go away'. She dropped down to the ground so she could watch the conversation from bellow the vehicle, being able to make out only the lower half of the two men making the deal. But next to the larger man that Stan Pines was yelling at, Paz spotted some kid about her age. Come on, who takes their kids to some kind of shady mafia deal! …Well, besides Stanford Pines. Speaking of which, where were the twins? She knew they'd been in the blog picture. So where did they go off to? If Soos had just dropped them off, wouldn't he have gone with them, leaving Stanford to his business? And if it was some sort of family outing, why would it have ended so soon? The twins were probably nearby… but doing what? Perhaps Stan was just the distraction while his great niece and nephew snuck in to the place. They were magicians. Sleight of hand was what they did best. While Stan was being loud and making a ruckus, the real show could he happening behind the scenes.

The set of footprints beside the limo was easy to make out. But rather than go toward the shack, they seemed to be heading into the woods. Should she remain and listen to see if Stan said or did anything incriminating or even find out what he was doing here, or track down the twins? She wanted to figure out what was going on at the very least, but she started to suspect that Stan's arguing might go on for a while.

"Come on, do you really want me to have to get lawyers involved? Bet you couldn't even afford that sort of treatment. Nah, much easier to just take the money and run." Stan insisted.

As much as Paz wanted to figure out what kind of deal he was pulling, she was almost certain that he was just a distraction and the Pines twins were off pulling something much worse. She gritted her teeth wishing she had something like a recorder or back up, but for now she either could stick around listening to the elder Pines argue for who knows how long, or track down the twins. The obvious carrot or the mysterious footprints leading to who knows what… Well, she just had to do things the hard way.

Paz followed the footprints as they went into the woods, drifting farther away from the old shack. As she started to question if maybe she'd gone too far in, she started hearing voices. There they were! The Pines twins! What kind of business could they have out in the woods? Paz made sure to be careful with each step as she made her way closer. Even on a day roughing it out in the woods, they were dressed in the same powder blue costumes as if they were about to go out on stage. Well, same fashion anyways. Dipper wore his usual blue vest over a crisp black shirt and slacks. At least the ridiculous cape was nowhere to be seen. Currently Mabel seemed to be wearing something that matched her brother, yet with a skirt rather than pants as well as a nice huge teal ribbon around her neck. Rather simple compared to what she was used to. Mabel seemed to be the one that enjoyed switching up her ensemble with every show. From wild frilly dresses to the occasional spandex, Paz had to wonder who was the one putting this extensive wardrobe together. Didn't all those sequins, rhinestones and stretchy material get uncomfortable? Sure, Paz herself wore jackets in the heat of summer, but that was purely just because she had pale skin and didn't have time to slather on sunscreen every time she stepped out the door! There was no way there could be any practical use for those costumes! Except maybe if they were trying to attract some kind of creature with a shiny bright reflecting surface. Still, despite the stage magician get up, they managed to appear very intimidating. And what was that in Dipper's hand? Some kind of brown furry bunny… wearing clothes?

"How you haven't found anything yet is a wonder. What are any of you good for?" The cold voice of Dipper Pines complained.

As Paz slowly got closer, she could see the 'fur' in his hands was actually the beard of what looked like a lawn gnome. This wasn't the first time Paz had seen the little men running about Gravity Falls. Sometimes she'd spot them raiding people's trash cans or stealing little things here and there. Like magical raccoons. Sometimes Paz thought they could be cute in the right light, but worried they might bite her finger off if she got too close. Yet here Dipper was holding him like a rag doll by the beard. That certainly looked painful.

"I swear! There's no way in! Said it before and I'll say it again- that old hunk of junk has all kinds of weird wards! We're normally able to slip past the stronger stuff, but without something like an invitation or breaking that thing, you're out of luck." The brown bearded man insisted. He tried to clench onto Dipper's arm to relieve some of the strain from the tugging of his beard, but Dipper swatted him off with each attempt.

Mabel rolled her eyes, disbelieving of the little man. She seemed to be toying with something in her hands. Some kind of nail file? Paz squinted trying to make out the object. Wait, was that some kind of knife?! Geeze, Paz knew the twins had a knife throwing routine, but did they really just play around with sharp objects like that! Didn't she know she could poke her eye out! Although judging by the look on her face, she seemed to be looking forward to the knife drawing blood on someone before this was through.

"Invitation? What are you some kind of vampire? I've seen you do breaking and entering before. Why's this place any different?" Mabel pointed out. The blade of her knife rested beneath her brother's hands, pressed against the beard hairs. The gnome grew just as panicked as if the knife were up against his neck.

"Look kids, I tried! I asked around, even got some feedback from some of the senior gnomes. Got a few spooky stories about some powerful wizard making sure his domain was locked up tight. You humans can force your way in the all you like. But if anything weirder than that wants in, we can only come in if the owner lets us. I swear- that's just how the spells work." The gnome tried to explain.

Dipper gave out a sigh. He supposed it added up. He and his sister had tried breaking in himself when the old shack didn't have any occupants. But even if a magical security system couldn't stop them, more practical ordinary measures kept them out. And while they had no fear of the Gravity Falls police, the attention the break in may cause was not something the twins wanted. For them, getting in would be easy. But they needed time to find what they were looking for. And now this old little shack had new occupants that could make things more complicated… or it could be just what they needed. Dipper shot his sister a smirk. And judging by the one already on her face, she was thinking the same thing. The telepathy routine was just a trick for the tourists. But while the twins couldn't read each other's minds, they were often enough in sync to pull off a scheme without words.

"Isn't it lucky that there are new owners, ignorant of how any of this supernatural business works? Are they enough of a loophole for you to work with? All you have to do is trick your way in, disable the mortal defenses and we'll be out of your… beard hair." Dipper dropped the gnome to the ground, having the creature land on its stomach with a thud. It gave a brief second to adjust his hat and stumble to his feet. But before it could let out any complaints, Mabel quickly picked up the ball where her brother left off.

"And if you needed some incentive… I hear you've been looking for a new Queen." She added with a smirk.

A goofy grin appeared on the gnome's face. "Awe yeah sweet cheeks! You'd be perfect!" He exclaimed.

This was quickly followed by a slap on the cheek from a now angry Mabel Pines. "Not me you idiot! Your choice of any other girl in Gravity Falls! Should be easy enough to arrange. But why would I ever agree to something like that?!" She exclaimed with her cheeks starting to turn red.

The normally calm and collected Dipper started to let out a snicker. "I don't know, sister. You'd look good in a pointy red cap! And you've always wanted an army. Why not 'the most powerful legion of a thousand' in the forest! Mabel Pines- Gnome Queen. Truly the pinnacle of your career!" He tried to cover his mouth with his hand to hide the laughter, but there was no way he could keep a straight face as he imagined his sister at the head of one of their stacks of gnomes.

Mabel shot her brother a glare. Mabel swung her arm around her brother, with her fist clenching the knife now resting on Dipper's shoulder. "Hmm, funny. Because I was just thinking you could pass for some kind of fairy prince with the all that flowery 'forest scent' you sprayed on yourself the other day. At the very least, I'd outrank you in the hypothetical forest royalty." Mabel retorted.

"It was cologne! And it was only one tim-" But Dipper cut himself off as he realized they were squabbling like children in the middle of a 'business meeting'. They'd went from perfectly in sync to bickering siblings in a matter of seconds. He rubbed his forehead as he tried to regain his cool. The small markings of each dot in the constellation that earned him his name were hardly indented, but just focusing on where they were helped to calm him down and regain his composure. The gnome seemed to be staring at them, confused over the sudden change in atmosphere.

"Listen, you heard the deal. Find a way in, disable their defenses, and we get you your new Queen. Easy enough?" Dipper presented to the gnome.

The gnome shifted his eyes between the twins. He knew that they may look and even act like kids, but he'd been hearing some nasty rumors about them. Humans normally didn't meddle in their affairs, so their interest was strange enough as it was. But they weren't just poking their nose in where it didn't belong. They were upsetting the natural balance of things. Creatures that normally remained dormant for thousands of years were now awoken with offers of glory and power. Supernatural goods that were normally difficult to tear away from their respective being such as fairy dust and unicorn hair were bartered away for favors that these kids seemed to be quite good at fulfilling- no matter how tall the order. Who knew how many deals these kids had tied up already? And now they wanted to get the gnomes on their side as well. He had no doubt they'd be able to fulfill their end of the bargain. But did he really want the gnomes to form that kind of relationship with the Pines twins?

"I'll see what the boys and I can do then! How difficult could it be?" He offered. He could weigh it over a bit more once they figured out how they'd manage tricking the new guy. They had been practicing their normal man form. They could put up routine, and manage something.

Mabel gritted her teeth, trying to put on a happy face for the gnome. The little weasel tried to suggest something as disturbing as her ruling over them, and she was ready to make him pay for it. But not now. She just had to distance him as far away from the concept as possible.

"So what kind of Queen did you have in mind then? Old? Young? Short? Tall?" She threw around. If he dared throw out anything close to her description, she'd ensure that his beard was as red as his cap by the time she was done carving him up.

But any sense of hostility seemed to go right over the little man's head. He scratched his beard as he thought it over. "Well… we do like the exotic types. And the closer to our height the better. What about that blond gal! The one with the blue eyes and those… were those dreamcatchers on her ears? Or was it some kind of weird wind chime? No clue, but seems like our type of Queen!"

A smirk grew on Dipper's face. He couldn't have picked a more perfect target. "Pacifica Northwest."

Paz had been perfectly still as she watched the entire negotiation take place. But as her name was spoken aloud a gasp came from her mouth. These jerks were trying to trade her off into holy matrignomey! But now was probably the worst time to let out a sound.

Mabel's eyes immediately darted toward the source of the noise. A small complication. But easily fixed. In fact, perhaps this was a stroke of good luck.

"Well, it looks like your new Queen has arrived."

* * *

Wkh jdph frqwlqxhv rqfh pruh

Wlph wr fkdqjh zkdw'v lq vwruh

/ Φ \

Szh vevib kzgs xszmtvw li droo gsv vmw ivnzrm?

Mvd pmldovwtv, mvd zoorvh, zmw z mvd wlnzrm


	4. Alliance

_Author's note: If you just discovered this story today, ignore this. But If you've been following this, you're probably wondering why this chapter looks very familiar. Well, the new chapter isn't this one, but instead Chapter 1- I've added a prologue. In addition to that, I've spruced up the begging to the first chapter (Unwelcome) with minor edits to chapters 2 and 3 (Now 3 and 4). You might want to take another look at the ending codes (Although the method to solve it is the same)._

* * *

 _'Keep running. You're faster than them. You can outrun them easily.'_ Paz repeated to herself in her head. Hardly a strategic retreat, but she didn't have much of a choice. It was 2 vs 1. Well, maybe 2 and a half. She had no idea exactly what gnomes could do, but she rather not find out.

"Come back... Don't you know it's dangerous to wander in the woods on your own?" Dipper's voice echoed through the forest.

Paz had no idea if the rapid crunching of leaves meant they were catching up quickly behind her, of if that was just her own frantic footsteps. She just had to keep moving one in front of the other without crashing into any trees. She was used to running from danger- these prissy little Pines couldn't possibly keep up with her.

"What's there to be afraid of? I'm sure you'll be treated well. Like a Queen in fact. It has to be better than a junk yard of a home and a lunatic of a father looming over you." Mabel's voice taunted.

 _'Don't listen to them. Dad's condition is hardly a secret… but did they follow me home or something?! No, they're just trying to get in my head. Keep running'_

But as much as she tried to block it out the voices didn't stop. "You're fighting a losing battle. Do you know how easy it would be to make sure you disappeared in these woods? We wouldn't even have to fake an animal attack. No one would even notice you were gone."

Dipper's voice pierced through her harshly. No… it had to be just a handful of cruel words. Her dad would… but depending on the day, he sometimes couldn't tell his family from a rabid raccoon. Her friends… there hadn't been much of anyone that she could call friend in a while. She'd had plenty of close friends. But they'd started to drift into the "acquaintance" category over the past year or two. Around the time she started investigating the Pines... Maybe it had just been her focus drifting elsewhere, but they seemed to be purposely distancing themselves from her. She was supposed to be famous for starting the party when she walked through the door. Now she hardly even got an invitation. Were the Pines somehow responsible for that as well? No, that had to be paranoia talking. They were trying to slow her down with empty words. Just keep running…

…Wait, where was she running to?

She darted off the second Mabel noticed her. She hadn't even thought for a second as to which direction to run. The footprints she followed here were nowhere to be seen. Just her own. And retracing her steps would be a big mistake. But the voices were getting closer. All she could do was keep running.

"Omph!" Paz exclaimed as she ran into something large and squishy and buried her head into something blue. Some kind of blob monster!? But the voice was friendlier than anything she'd heard today.

"Watch out there dude! Are you ok?" The large man asked as he stepped back a little and try and give Paz a hand.

Paz looked up at the man that she'd just crashed into. She recognized him instantly- Soos Ramirez. While the rest of the inhabitants of the Tent of Telepathy usually had elaborate or fancy wardrobes, he stuck with a simple ball cap, blue shirt and shorts. The symbol of the tent was on his shirt, but the star looked like it was drawn in fabric paint. It made the star look much less threatening and ominous than when it was displayed around the tent- more like a doodle in a notebook. Seeing as Paz had never seen it sold at the tent, he probably made it himself. Still, he worked for the Pines. Did that mean he'd go along with their scheme?

Soos look down at the girl out of breath and scratched his head. "You ok there, dude? You look like you've seen a 40 foot tall dinosaur or something! And as cool as that would be, it looks like it was the person-eating kind." He remarked with a hearty laugh.

Paz had never actually talked to Soos before, but even with just these few words and what she knew about him, it was hard to think he had a malicious bone in his body. With a sigh, she took his hand and he helped her off the ground.

"Thanks…" Paz admitted, still not sure if she was out of hot water just yet.

"Well, you're safe now! Hey, maybe you could help me find my friends! They must have gone exploring while I got caught up in a sweet tune on the radio… I know Dipper and Mabel do that wandering off stuff all the time, but I get worried, ya know? And it's kind of my job to protect them. You wouldn't have happened to have seen them, would you?" Soos explained with genuine concern in his eyes.

"Uh… I don't think you should be too worried about them." Paz admitted.

She wasn't sure if Soos was just really oblivious or was some kind of genius mastermind pulling this act to stall for time while the Pines got her right where they wanted. Sure enough, walking up calmly behind her was the very thing she feared.

"Soos? Whatever are you doing out here?" Mabel asked somewhat annoyed.

Paz turned around, wondering exactly what their plan was now. If Soos really wasn't aware of their intentions, would they still carry on with a witness? They hardly seemed out of breath. They were probably taking their sweet time chasing their prey down. The gnome was nowhere to be seen either. Probably not a good sign- he could either be watching from afar, or went to go get some more of his friends.

"Just looking for you dudes! It's dangerous to go walking around the woods without your Soos!" The eager man said as he walked up beside the twins to pull them in for a large hug. And while they both seemed rather indifferent about it, they didn't make a move to push him away.

Dipper rolled his eyes, accepting the hug reluctantly. "Yes, well we just wanted a bit of fresh air. Nothing to worry about." He insisted.

This wasn't the first time Soos had interrupted one of their dealings. Probably wouldn't be the last either. Sometimes Dipper wondered if their uncle paid him a bonus for walking in on them at the most inappropriate times.

Soos released the twins from his hug, easily buying the excuse. "Well, it all worked out, so it's cool! Maybe once Mr. Pines finishes up, we can all go out and grab something to eat!" Soos suggested with a huge smile on his face.

"And look! Even found an extra friend for you in here! The woods really do have everything you need to survive!" Soos said as he pat Paz on the shoulder.

Paz flinched, not sure what sounded less appetizing- being some kind of Gnome Queen or a brunch with the Pines.

The twins shot each other a glance, trying to figure out what to do. Shoo Soos off and continue where they left off, save their plans for another day or keep their prey within close reach? It wasn't as if there was anyone that would believe her if she decided to talk about what she saw. Their reputation was too pristine, and adding a gnome in the mix would just make Paz seem insane. There was no harm in letting her go for now. Even more fun to let her squirm and wait for her capture to come anyways.

Mabel was quick to come up with an excuse. "Actually Soos, we were looking forward to some quality bonding time with Stan. As much as we love to make new friends-"

"-I'm sure we could find a much better time to get better acquainted with Miss. Northwest." Dipper finished.

Paz shuttered. Did they really have to finish each other's sentences? Twin telepathy act or not, that was just creepy. Soos on the other hand seemed to be used to it. If anything, he enjoyed it. Once again he bought the act.

"Oh… sorry to hear that. But I understand dudes." Soos admitted disappointed. He turned to Paz and gave her a thumbs up. "Rain check, alright?"

But Paz was happy to get out of it as long as they could literally get out of these woods. "Uh… that's alright… I already had other plans anyways." Paz offered. Such as figuring out who those two people that Stan was talking to were. She couldn't tell who the man was, but the kid was someone she'd never seen around Gravity Falls. There were plenty of tourists that stopped by the Tent of Telepathy, but she doubted anyone dealing with the Pines at some run down old shack in the middle of the woods were just tourists.

"That's cool!" Soos exclaimed. It was then that he realized he hadn't introduced himself. He knew he'd seen the girl around the Tent of Telepathy occasionally. One of Dipper and Mabel's fans? He hadn't seen them interact, but they knew her name, right? Any friend of the Pines was a friend of his! Soos held out his hand to the young girl. "I'm a Soos! Nice to meet ya!"

Paz gave him a light smile, and shook his hand back. "Paz. Nice to meet you too." Even if he was working for the Pines, he did genuinely seem to be a good person. She wouldn't have minded hanging out with him. As long as he didn't bring his employers.

Dipper rolled his eyes once again disinterested. "Yes, yes. Let's just get back to the car. The heat is starting to annoy me." He complained

"Don't sweat it! Literally!" Soos chuckled as he took his ballcap off his head and plucked it on Dipper's chestnut locks. "Boom! Instant shade!"

Mabel chuckled as her brother attempted to not look completely frustrated with Soos. She'd already accepted the change in plans, but Soos seemed to be pressing all of her brother's buttons today. The blue ballcap managed to both completely clash with his outfit as well as give off a peculiar scent that Dipper could only guess was a mix of mountain dew and body odor. Dipper flicked the ball cap a few inches upward so at least the Big Dipper on his forehead was showing once again. He tried not to show any signs of frustration, knowing that Soos was only trying to help.

Paz couldn't help letting out a snicker, seeing how much Soos managed to get away with around the Pines. She'd seen them go off on "the help" when she sneaked back stage. And she'd seen how they sweet talked authority figures that were clearly annoying them. This was neither. Soos had called them his friends. Maybe they genuinely felt the same… or they figured that they couldn't find another person around Gravity Falls that spent that much time around them and not ask any questions about their activities.

Soos kept in the lead as he led them all out of the forest. At least he seemed to have a good sense of direction.

Soos was far enough ahead that Mabel whispered something in Paz's ear without him hearing. "Saved by the Soos for now… but if I were you, I'd start picking out a wedding dress. You're going to make a lot of little men very happy."

Paz shuttered at the thought, but she refused to let Mabel Pines get the best of her. "Not going to get rid of me that easy. And not before the town knows what you're really up to. I know what you're hiding." Paz shot back.

"Oh? You've figured out our entire plot then? We were going to announce it at the next town meeting, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. Please, go on. I'm sure everyone would love to hear your feelings on the golden children of Gravity Falls." Mabel retorted.

Paz folded her arms annoyed that Mabel called her bluff. They wouldn't get away with this… whatever it was. Ok, maybe she hadn't figured out everything. Trying to trade her off to the gnomes seemed to only be the tip of the ice berg. And not even something she could prove. They seemed to want something with that old Shack if they were trying to convince the gnomes to sneak in. The old thing hardly looked like prime real estate property. So was there something of value hidden in there? Some kind of buried treasure? Whatever it was, at least she could try and find out what it was and make sure the Pines didn't get their hands on it.

When they got closer to the clearing where they began, Paz was starting to realize that perhaps this whole secret mafia exchange might not be so much of a secret from the volume Stanford Pines had gotten to. Or that he seemed to be getting anything out of the deal.

"Fine! Good luck opening up your rinky dink little tourist trap! Do you know what kind of influence I have around town? Good luck getting any locals to stop by! Heck, hope you and your kid know how to run this place and get it up to shape because you're sure not going to be able to hire any contractors or employees! I'll give you less than a month before you're begging me to take it off your hands!" Stan yelled at the two. And while Bud seemed baffled at the lack of compromise, it only seemed to make Gideon more determined than ever to stay.

"Dream on! You know, we wanted to be your business partners- guess we'll have to be competitors instead!" Gideon shouted at the old man. The normally meek and shy boy had a fire in his eyes that wouldn't be quenched- even by one of his heroes. No one messed with his family!

"You don't know what you're messing with." Stan grumbled under his breath before turning away. So much for an easy win. But he doubted they'd be able to stay long. No matter how stubborn they were, Gravity Falls was hardly on any maps. If any tourists came around here, it was to see his kids' show. No way would anyone notice a piece of junk little place like this. He wanted to turn it into some kind of Pines Bros. museum? Ha! Like anyone cared about that stuff anymore. They'd be out of business soon.

"Come on kids, we're leaving." He said making his way to the limo.

Soos rushed ahead to open the car door for Stan and the kids. "No problem Mr. Pines! To Greasy's for grub?" He asked.

Stan shook his head as he got himself settled. "Drop me off at home first. I got some calls to make. Eat an extra stack of flapjacks for me, won't ya?"

If Dipper was distraught, he tried not to show it. He climbed in after his great uncle. However, Mabel didn't seem to follow him. He leaned out of the car door to see what the hold up was.

"Mabel? Are you coming?" Dipper asked confused.

But Mabel was distracted by the young boy on the porch. "Such pretty white hair…" She mumbled to herself.

Dipper waved his hand in front of his sister's eyes. "Hello… Earth to Mabel!" But he recognized that look his sister had on her face. He could already see the stars in her eyes. "Come on… now's not the time to get too attached." Dipper insisted as he pulled his sister's arm into the car.

But even though Mabel went along with him, the wheels in her head were still turning. Soos shut the door behind the Pines family and quickly went to start the limo. As they pulled away, Mabel's gaze was still locked on the boy. But Gideon was too concerned about his father to even notice.

"Pops, we can't just let him walk all over us… even if he is Stanford Pines, this is your dream! You always wanted to open up your own place, put wonder in the hearts of children and inspire people! You're not going to let him stop you, right?" Gideon asked. He'd been the one to step in when Stanford was clearly trying to bully his father into giving up before they'd even started. And frankly, Bud was surprised that his son managed to stand up to the man in the first place. They both had a great respect for Stanford Pines… but after seeing this side of him? Bud still wasn't sure what to make of the whole encounter.

"It's not that simple, son. I mean… I wouldn't want to open any kind of museum glorifying the Pines Bros. Circus without his approval. And it does look like he's going to make it awfully difficult for us… maybe this just isn't the right location…" Bud tried to reason.

The two had been so concerned about what to do, that they hardly noticed the girl left behind when the Pines pulled away. Paz listened carefully and tried to gather as much as they could. Whatever Stan and the twins wanted from this place, they were trying to force these people out of it. And by the looks of it, they only just got here. They wanted to stay here, and she wanted to make sure the Pines didn't get what they wanted. Paz flipped some of the hair out of her face and readjusted her pony-tail as she approached the new owners of the old Shack.

"Hey, guys? I think I might be able to help you with your Pines problem. My name's Pacifica Northwest- Call me Paz. Welcome to Gravity Falls!"

* * *

Wkhlu hbhv vwdb vkxw ru fkrrvh wr eh eolqg

Pb vhfuhwv duh qrw phdqw iru wkhlu forvhg plqg

/ Φ \

Gsviv'h nliv gl gsrh dliow gszm gl lyhviev

Gsv lmv nvzmg gl ifov szh lgsvi mvvwh gl hviev


	5. Syrup and Secrets

Greasy's Diner was as active as ever. Even if Gravity Falls was a small town, you could be sure that the locals took time out of their day to get themselves a mediocre cup of coffee and read a newspaper on yesterday's gossip. It was part of their routine, and they were happy to continue it. And sometimes they were thrown a few welcome curveballs! Like the local celebrities- the Pines Twins that decided they could use a good old fashion home cooked meal! But they hardly seemed in the mood to smile and sign autographs. They were quick to pick a booth in the back and keep to themselves while they partook in their meals.

Dipper held the syrup bottle over his plate and watched its slow drip smother his pancakes in a gooey demise. If he wouldn't have victory over the Northwest girl or the Mystery Shack, he could at least bring an utter defeat to his breakfast.

"Hey, save some for me, bro!" Mabel said snatching the syrup bottle from her brother's hands. The plate in front of her may be filled with sausage, eggs and bacon, but everything was improved with liquid breakfast sugar.

Soos who was eating his own stack of pancakes twice as high was quick to comfort Dipper. "Awe, don't sweat it. I'm sure Mr. Pines wanted to come! Just important business came up!"

Dipper rolled his eyes, and laid his head down beside his plate with his mouth drooped open. This meant it was time for Mabel's favorite pastime of 'Eat or be Meated'. Carefully judging the angle of the trajectory against the syrup covered sausage bit, she pounded the spoon's handle using it as a makeshift catapult. The sausage flew across the table, sticking promptly in the center of Dipper's birthmark.

"Direct hit! I win!" Mabel declared proudly.

Dipper sighed. "I'm not really in the mood." He answered, not even bothering to peel the meat off his forehead. Normally the game was that Dipper would try and catch the meat in his mouth while Mabel accounted for his dodging. She normally won anyways, but today was hardly a challenge.

Even though Stan's absence was hardly the only issue on his mind, for once Soos was correct in assuming it was the one that weighed most on Dipper. "Awe come on, Stan loves us! We could literally get away with murder, and he'd be finding the best lawyers to distract people long enough while he physically broke us out himself!" Mabel declared.

"I know… I just wish he wouldn't keep so many secrets from us." Dipper admitted as his mind kept thinking back to that old Shack. **Stan** had owned it for many years. It had been where he first found them. And yet he still forbid them from returning. He even put up every obstacle he could to make sure of it. Why after all these years would he still not tell them?

Mabel shrugged. "We keep secrets from him. It's what family does."

"Mostly to spite him… I bet his secrets are much juicier than ours." Dipper lifted his head up and finally reluctantly took a bite of his soggy flapjacks.

Soos only gave a chuckle to all this talk of secrets. "You should just do what I do!"

Dipper raised an eyebrow. "Live life ignorantly without a care?"

"Naw, dude! But I mean you should trust Stan! He loves you guys! He wouldn't keep secrets if it wasn't for a really good reason! He's probably just trying to protect you." Soos insisted.

While Mabel tried not to let it bother her, it still got to her occasionally as well. "Ha! Fair trade- trust that Stan doesn't trust us with important secrets. Yeah, think I'm going to keep 'Trust' in that rare category of things that actually are imaginary in Gravity Falls."

Mabel was already lining up her next shot, but Dipper let out another heavy sigh. "I just wish he could at least tell us why he's trying to keep the Shack's contents hidden from us. He knows we deal with dangerous supernatural entities daily… if that Shack has even more information within its walls, wouldn't he want us to use it to protect ourselves?" Dipper wondered.

Within the blink of an eye, the entire world went grey. All the inhabitants of the diner froze in their place. Time stood still for all but the two Pines Twins and their new visitor.

"Awe! How cute! Little Dipper wants to go to the Mystery Ball! Maybe his Fairy God-Triangle could help!" Called out an echoy voice. Both twins recognized it instantly. And while it had become a more frequent occurrence in their lives, it didn't stop it from being any less creepy.

"Well hello there, Bill." Mabel interjected. Falling for Bill's scare tactics was the easiest way to get yourself on the bad end of a deal. "How's the mindscape? Cause any good nightmares lately? Still going for the low hanging fruit of the children and elderly, or have you decided to work your way up to appearing like an actual threat?"

A will-o-wisp burned brightly between the two, flickering away slowly to reveal a blue triangle. "Ah, the Queen of 'Thinks she's got sick burns' strikes again." Bill called out as he poofed a burning crown onto Mabel's head. Mabel only gave out a yawn as the fire began to spread to the rest of her hair. She knew well by now that 'what happens in the mindscape, stays in the mindscape'. Or at least in regard to how Bill liked to mess with his surroundings. As Mabel liked to refer to it, 'Once the world goes grey, all the demon's tricks are just play.'

Dipper sighed and shook his head. "The 'wish' was rhetorical, Bill. If you're not going to give us any information on the Mystery Shack, then please return to your regularly scheduled Eldritch horrors and leave us to finish our breakfast in peace."

The twins had made many deals with Bill over the past few years. Some were balanced and benefited both parties, and others Bill flat out got the better of them with only cryptic riddles in return. But a few trips down staircases and games of 'how many forks fit on the surface of the human body' were a small price to pay for the information and services he could provide. And after many deals, they began to learn many of the loopholes and technicalities to his deals. Less deals ended up with an agonizing struggle to figure out how to get their sibling back in their own body. Never put your soul on the line, limit any possession time, make clear and distinct requests and return services, and other methods to be careful when dealing with demons. Frankly, if all this supernatural or performance business didn't work out, the Pines twins probably could have made impressive lawyers.

As far as deals went, while Bill wasn't what you'd call fair, he did appreciate repeat business. He wouldn't do anything to kill the kids or do something to prevent them from ever working with him again. Nah, when he finally pushed them over the edge, it would be for something big that really mattered. He was fine with taking a few joy rides in a fresh young vessel if it meant spewing out a bit of common knowledge to any being that traversed the mindscape. He knew what lines not to cross, but it was just so delightful to know he'd been able to get away with more as the kids lust for knowledge and power grew.

However, much to the twins' dismay, knowledge on the Mystery Shack, Stan's past and the Journals seemed to all be off limits. It was clear the all-seeing eye knew the answers to all these questions, but chose not to answer them. Which is why Dipper was convinced that his appearance here was only to taunt them or convince them to take a deal where they'd get no useful information at all.

"I don't know, Pine Tree. I'm feeling rather generous today. It's a brand new day… with brand new opportunities." Bill snapped his fingers and an image of a red journal appeared in front of the twins. The golden 6-fingered hand on its cover shone. Taunting them. The twins may have possession of Journal 2. But the first volume was still out there, filled to the brim with knowledge for the taking.

Dipper's eyes glistened in the reflection of the hand. Even though he knew it was just an illusion, he couldn't help reaching out for it.

Mabel wasn't as quick to fall for the dream demon's taunt. She put her hand on her brother's arm before he made any stupid deals just yet. "What's the catch, Cipher? You've kept your eyelid shut on the topic of the Journals. So why now? And what do you want in return?" She demanded up front.

Bill's laughter echoed. So much for the easy dangling of the carrot. "Catch is, this is just the promotional stunt. Just a taste for what's to come! You get a hint on the location of the journal, and I get to possess a lucky someone for a bit!"

Ugh… hints. Almost guaranteed to be cryptic. And for a possession too. Neither twin looked forward to their body being used for whatever joyriding the demon wished to do. They'd have to be pretty sleep deprived or desperate in order to take Bill up for just a 'hint'. But the journals…

"How long are you interested in? A couple of hours?" Dipper asked immediately. If any information about them was on the table, he wanted it now.

Mabel leaned back in her chair, relieved to let her brother take on this round of dealing with the demon. Technically, it was her turn but if he was willing to pay the price she'd let him. The flames that began in her hair then started to set the seat behind her aflame. Ugh… hopefully this whole mindscape version of the diner wouldn't burn down before they finished negotiations.

Bill chuckled. Pine Tree easily took the bait. "Relax. It's just a hint- I just wanted to get a bite to eat. You flesh sacks have some weird taste buds and digestive systems alright! So you let me finish your breakfast for you, and I'll let you in on a little secret about the location of the journal you're looking for."

Dipper was too eager. The first Journal was the thing he wanted most in Gravity Falls, and he'd do just about anything to get it. The deal seemed simple enough. But Mabel already caught several obvious problems with it. "Dipper, think about this for a moment-"

"Deal." Dipper spoke aloud. He reached out his hand to meet the blazing flame in the demon's palm to seal their arrangement. The world of grey faded away. Dipper and Mabel opened their eyes, and the world continued to move as if nothing had happened. Only the change in Dipper's demeanor was clear if the blue color and slit in his eyes wasn't.

"WHOOOO! CARBOHYDRATES AND SUGAR! BRING IT ON!" Bipper exclaimed as he eagerly shoveled the pancake stack into his face with his bare hands, most of it missing his mouth completely.

The entire diner turned to stare at the loud burst of noise coming from the Pines family booth. Soos chuckled nervously. It was good to see Dipper's spirits picking up, but this seemed to be a bit too much. More than stress had gotten to him. Mabel tried to give a sweet smile to all the diner patrons looking at their local celebrity behaving in such an insane manner.

"It's just a new diet he's trying out! And screaming before eating is supposed to really get the blood pumping." Mabel tried to explain. Just then some of the maple syrup splashed on her face from Bipper's messy siege on the flapjack stack. "And studies show that syrup is great for the complexion…"

She tried to rub in the syrup on her face to demonstrate. The rest of the diner easily believed it. She could even hear a few people changing their order and starting to scream out at the top of their lungs as well. Why not? This town made a pile of rocks look as sharp as a well-stocked armory. Mabel slumped back in her seat, looking at the space in the air where her real brother was probably hovering and waiting. They had plenty of puppets at home from marionettes to even sock puppets that were great for easy transport. Most people that saw it only thought it added to the 'creepy twin' motif, but they made great temporary vessels for when Bill got out of control. But none of that was at hand with this spontaneous deal. Hopefully this would go quickly. Dipper was supposed to be the more 'responsible' and 'reserved' of the two. But when it came to the Journals and the Mysteries of Gravity Falls… he got reckless. He'd pay dearly for that one day. And as entertaining as it was to watch her big headed brother realize he wasn't as smart as he thought he was, she rather not watch him suffer too much. He was still family after all.

Mabel kept watch as the pancake stack finally ceased to exist. She gave Bipper a sickingly sweet smile "Finished, _brother_?" She asked with venom in her voice. The sooner Bill evacuated, the better.

Nasally laughter escaped Bipper's lips. These younger vocal cords fit his pitch quite nicely. "What are you talking about, there's still plenty in front of me!" He exclaimed. And sure enough plenty of soggy bits of pancake were still stuck to his face as well as the bit of sausage Mabel first stuck to her brother's namesake birthmark. "I'm thinking of saving it for later!"

Mabel was having a harder time keeping up the smile in front of Soos. Bill couldn't hold on to her brother forever, but he'd certainly make things as complicated for the both of them along the way as possible. "Why don't I get that for you?" Mabel asked as she held up her napkin.

"Don't think so, 'Star! I just got it right where I like it!" Bipper exclaimed as he tried to slap Mabel's hands away from his face. However, he was so focused on Mabel, that he didn't have a chance to block Soos.

"You going to finish that?" Soos asked. Although for him, it was a rhetorical question. With a quick swipe of his hand, he scooped up all the food bits on the boy's face, gathered them into a mushy syrup ball, and plopped it in his mouth. "Hey, dude! Your face makes a great seasoning!"

Dipper's eyes instantly returned to their normal blue-green color with their deal concluded. The sugary sweet taste was mixed in with something else… coppery? Ah, that would be the blood. Bill probably bit down a little too hard. Still, that was the least of his worries. At least he didn't play around with the silverware this time. Dipper began to take his own napkin and wipe as much of the syrup off his face as he could.

"Thank you, Soos." He admitted. The man probably thought he was thanking him for the odd complement. Soos certainly had a habit of getting in the way of plans. Yet he always seemed to prove he was worth keeping around in the strangest of ways.

Once again the world went grey, but this time Dipper welcomed it. It meant that it was time for Bill to provide his end of the deal. He expected Bill to be peeved that his deal didn't go as planned. But he was as filled with just as much eerie laughter as usual.

"Just goes to show you, it's always handy to have an idiot or two around. They make great emergency sacrifices or food rations!" Bill exclaimed as he stretched out to hug the Pines twins. The breakfast thing was only a minor setback. He'd find plenty of other ways to have fun. The more desperate the kiddies got, the more chances he'd have.

Dipper didn't care for the dream demon's touch. But the more unnerved they looked, the more often he'd do it. "Your end of the bargain, Cipher." He demanded calmly. There was no need to deal with his antics longer than they had to.

Bill rolled his eye. "Jeeze kid, lighten up! Enjoy the ride while you still can! Dark times ahead! You're going to be wishing for the boring days of blood rituals and breakfast!"

Dipper's tongue brushed against the new cuts in his mouth. Wait, did Cipher cast some kind of spell while he still had control? There were no circles or spoken words… but he was an all knowing dream demon. Had he managed something with that little bit of time? Or was he just playing with his head?

But true enough, he'd gotten his joyride. Now to fulfil his end of the bargain. A white glow surrounded his body as he hovered in the air. An image of the Journals appeared in each palm, yet the golden 6-fingered hand was blank on each.

"Y͝L̸G̨S ̛OR̵V͞ ͢DRGS͜RM ̨G͡SV̢ V̕ZI͝ǴS,̡ SRW͜WV͜M̨ Y͟B̷ ͞U͘ZO͡H̷V̛ ̕KRMV͡H͜  
͡LMV̶ ULI G̸S͞L̢H͟V̕ ̶BĹF DROO̡ ͢LK̨K͘LHV ͝  
LMV҉ ͘ULI ̧H͏LNV͜L̨MV ͜X͏ǪL͘H̕V ̨ŖM̛ GSV͘ HS̴Z̶WLDH  
W͟VH̀GIL͠B ͟GSVN ͟Y҉VU͘LIV́ ͢GSIV͘V ͘HR̨W̸V̸H̷ ̀ZO͏RT́M͡"

Bill's voice echoed through both twins heads. Its echo was painful, and more than just because of Bill's high pitched screaming. As if he was scratching the knowledge into their very psyche. Even though they could hardly understand how each word was pronounced- or how it could even be considered a word, somehow they understood each and every letter. Even if they didn't know what it meant yet. It would remain burned in their heads for some time.

A circle filled with strange symbols glowed around Bill- some the twins recognized, some they still weren't sure what they meant. All they knew was that it had some kind of connection to the dream demon. And possibly them as well. The six fingered hand was a dead ringer for the one they found on the cover of the Journal. They'd seen that crescent shaped symbol on Stan's fez. The Pine Tree logo matched the one Stanford used to use as his logo for the circus too- although Bill also called Dipper by the name 'Pine Tree' despite never really associating himself with it in the past. He called Mabel 'Shooting Star', but that made even less since they'd never even seen that symbol before outside its connection to Bill. Some kind of symbolic meaning behind it?

The symbol that troubled them more was the Tent of Telepathy star. It was one Mabel had made herself. They initially thought she had randomly come up with it. A five pointed star for each of the members of their team, and an eye for all that psychic and supernatural bit… until they tried to summon Bill. She had made it a year or two after finding the journal, but Mabel hadn't done as much leafing through the text as Dipper had. Perhaps something subconsciously went through her head? But out of all the odd symbols in the journal, why had she picked that one? Had Cipher somehow placed these images around their lives for some larger plan? Most of the time the demon seemed to be doing this all for his own entertainment. But he had to have something larger in mind. As much as they used Bill as a resource, Dipper and Mabel never forgot that he could one day easily turn on them.

Color returned to the world, and the twins were left to contemplate Bill's "hint". Dipper already took his personal journal out to try and write out the code so he could get to breaking it. With any luck, it wouldn't be some terrible joke of Cipher's.

Soos smiled to see that Dipper seemed to calm down a bit from earlier. That crazed look in his eyes from before couldn't have been anything good. "Well, if you two are done, let me get to paying and we can hit the road! Maybe Stan's finished up, and we can still do something together!" Soos suggested eagerly. Picking up the check off the table, he went to the cash register leaving Dipper and Mabel alone for a moment.

"That was reckless of you." Mabel remarked with her arms folded.

Dipper shrugged. "It could have gone worse. We'll know soon if it was worth it." Dipper brushed off as he tried shifting the alphabet on his page.

"I'm serious- your obsession with that Journal has you making stupid moves!" Mabel exclaimed.

Dipper didn't even look up from his scribbling. "This is important. Besides, it's not any worse than your obsession with your 'conquests of the heart'. I see you've already picked out your next victim. How many 'stupid moves' will you be making because of him?" Dipper retorted.

"That's completely different!" Mabel exclaimed. "Any boy is lucky to have my attention. And this one's no different. He should be head over heels for me by the end of the week. You can't say you have that same control over Cipher."

Dipper frowned, knowing that she was correct in that aspect. "True… the stakes are greater for this 'obsession'. The consequences range from an eternity of damnation with our souls owned by a demon to ultimate power and global conquest. High risk, high reward. If you can't handle that, then feel free to let me deal with Cipher from now on." Dipper resolved. He knew it would be much more difficult without his sister by his side… not to mentioning having to take the weight of half the deals. But if she was too afraid to take the risk, he couldn't force her to continue. This certainly wasn't the 'safest path'. He couldn't blame her for turning back.

"You idiot! No way am I going to leave you at it alone!" Mabel exclaimed, punching her brother in the shoulder. She was just as interested in the power the Journals had to offer as well- she was just more interested in the practical applications rather than staring at cluster of codes all day. Still, even if there wasn't anything of interest in the Journals, she'd still stand by her brother. Just like she knew that her brother would aid her with any of her romantic endeavors despite not approving of them himself. "You're stuck with me!"

Dipper chuckled as he brought his sister into a headlock and began ruffling her hair. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Soos returned to the twins playfully wrestling. None of the dinner patrons seemed to have noticed. It probably would have collided with their image of the pristine perfect Pines that they loved to praise. But Soos had been around the two to know they were far from what people saw on stage. They fought, they participated in suspicious behavior, and they kept grim secrets. But above all that, he knew they cared about each other. They had spent their entire lives together, and the bond showed. They were a powerful force to be reckoned with, not because of the things they got themselves involved with, but because they always had each other's backs.

"Who wants breakfast desert?" Soos asked cheerily as he held up a pair of dum-dums for the kids. The dinner usually had them beside the cash register, and he went digging for flavors for the twins. Cherry for Mabel, and 'Mystery' for Dipper.

Dipper, while he usually enjoyed trying to figure out which flavor got mixed up with which along production had enough of the overbearingly sweet taste in his mouth. He pocketed the treat for later. Mabel on the other hand popped the lollipop in her mouth, wrapper and all.

"Go! Go! Go!" Soos cheered as Mabel fiddled with the wrapper with her tongue. It certainly wasn't as challenging as a starburst wrapper, but it still was a good quick game. Dipper rolled his eyes at their childishness, but there was still a light smile on his face.

Mabel produced the lightly soggy wrapper from her mouth and spat it out on the table. "15 seconds… I can do better."

"Guess we'll have to get you a bag of them on the way home to practice." Dipper remarked. His sister hardly needed more sugar, but why not? Even with today's frustrating start, perhaps they could still make something interesting out of it.

Without any warning, Soos scooped up Mabel and put her high up on his shoulders. "To the candy store! Team Telepathy- AWAY!" Soos cheered as he rushed toward the door.

Dipper followed slowly behind as he continued to scribble code possibilities in his notebook. He could already hear the diner patrons gossiping how adorable Mabel looked on Soos' shoulders, and wondering what Dipper could be 'drawing in that cute little sketchbook of his'. Soos and Mabel had probably made it to the car by now. He looked down at the code he had yet to solve. Maybe he shouldn't be in so much of a rush. Folding his notebook and pocketing it, Dipper decided that he could spare an afternoon with his family. They had plenty of time. That Journal wasn't going anywhere, right?

* * *

Kh wusm, ybm dnbo aoj lh fvp trbmgd n xxw ywmtrjl

Ybm paal t pease bj lozwmhvfz, ybm geev?

Xxcwvtvfz sbex kvfw os jayzagg pgnpywm oe s lepjxt?

Lgn brlmee tx wug B tuagk lgn aew- phb wesr ltlxk bn pgwe


	6. The Mystery Shack

Paz had heard rumors about the old 'Mystery Shack' that got more out of hand every time the legends came up. The first time, it was due to some kind of challenge going around at school. "I dare you to spend a night in the Mystery Shack. Legend says, a six-fingered man would lure in weary travelers and cut off their hands to experiment on them! His door is always open to anyone willing to give him _a hand_ with his research!" However, any idiots that tried to break in would get caught by the police long before some insane fictional psychopath got his polydactyly fingers on their hands. It only took a little bit of digging around to find that the old house belonged to Stanford Pines. Of course, this only started a new series of rumors of how _he_ would make people disappear in the middle of the woods, but nothing could be proven. Just a handful of trips the old recluse would make to the shack at late hours. But they were all passed off as just an old man being sentimental. And for any kids stupid enough to catch him while he was there… well, the man was a known NRA supporter with many guns. And he did not like people on his property.

But now the Mystery Shack had a new owner. Bud Gleeful. And he hardly seemed as shifty and secretive as his predecessor did.

"Well hello there, little lady! It's nice to see a friendly face around here. But there isn't anything to worry about! I wouldn't call all of this as much of a 'Pines Problem', as a little setback. I'm sure we could all work things out!" Bud insisted cheerfully.

Gideon, while normally staying on the positive side knew that things wouldn't be that easy. He knew that people could easily take advantage of his father's good hearted nature, and he wasn't going to let Stanford have a crack at him either.

"Pa, he's not trying to be a friendly business rival. He's trying to run us out of town before we even set up shop." Gideon said bluntly. Frankly, they could use all the help they could get. And a local that probably knew their way around the town a heck of a lot better than they did could be a huge help.

"Gideon Gleeful." Gideon said holding out his hand to introduce himself to Paz. "Nice to meet you- and you already seem nicer than the last welcome wagon! Although I admit Stanford didn't really set the bar high there."

"Ooh- Alliteration!" Paz said noting the double G name as she shook Gideon's hand. Great for comic book heroes! "But yeah, I overheard some of that… what's his problem with you two anyways? You don't seem too bad." Paz admitted.

Bud smiled at Paz, reaching out to shake her hand after Gideon's. "Why thank you! I'm Bud- You're mighty kind yourself. I'm sure Stanford is just being a tad too sentimental... I don't think he was fully informed about the whole nature of the deal. I do feel terrible about the whole mess… I wouldn't want it to look like I swindled or cheated him out of his old home." He admitted sadly. Bud scratched the back of his head, not sure if this was the right way to go about settling in. He certainly didn't want to start a business with this kind of bad karma behind it. "Maybe I should just sell him the place back…"

"NO!" Both Gideon and Paz shouted at the same time. They gave each other a quick glance, confused as to what the other's stake was in all of this.

Paz gave a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "Uh, you explain first." She insisted.

Gideon gave a light shrug at the in sync moment between the two. "Well, just that this has been my Pa's dream! Opening up his own little museum about the Pines Bros. Circus and all the neat things they showed the world! To help people experience that magic in their hearts all over again! Even if one of those Pines brothers is against it, doesn't mean we gotta give up! Pa, you got this place fair and square! Don't let Stanford guilt you into giving up your dreams!"

Paz's eyes lit up at Gideon's heartwarming story. "That… is so beautiful!" She exclaimed. She put her hand on Bud's shoulder. "Don't give up your dreams Mr. Gleeful! Not for Stanford, and not for the world!" She encouraged him. This was like a real life version of one of those feel-good 'based on a true story' kind of movies!

Bud smiled at the two kids rooting for him. It seemed awful silly for them to be the ones cheering him on, but it was hard to feel bad about holding onto the Shack with them in his corner. "Awe, shucks kids. I mean… I still need to think over it, but thank you for your support!"

So far, it seemed like this Paz girl was friendly enough. But what was her reason for being so eager for her dad holding onto the place? "So what about you? Why do you think we should hold onto the place?" Gideon asked Paz.

Paz's hand dug into the jacket pocket where the notebook filled with her observations and findings on the Pines laid. Most people assumed she was some kind of conspiracy theorist or crazy like her father when she tried to explain it. Did she really want to start off meeting these new people with them thinking she had some insane obsession with the Pines?

"Er… well… I just don't think you should let Stanford Pines bully you into anything either." She tried to reason.

Gideon raised an eyebrow, not sure what the sudden shift in the bubbly girl's mood was about. "Really?" He had to ask. Not that he doubted she was lying or anything. Just that it didn't seem like she was telling them everything. She had said she'd come to help about their 'Pines Problem'. What was that about?

Paz scratched her head. It wasn't that she was a bad liar- she prided herself on being the 'Drama Queen' of her acting club at school. But it was being shifty around good people- especially ones she had just met- that made her feel uncomfortable.

"Ok, it is a bit more complicated than that… just promise you'll hear me out." Paz asked.

Bud wasn't sure what had gotten the girl all nervous all of a sudden, but he was sure that she only had the best of intentions. "Why don't you come inside and we'll pull up a seat for your story. Sorry that I can't really offer you any more than that- haven't unpacked yet to provide you with any refreshments. But I'm always happy to lend an ear!" Bud said as he opened the door to lead Paz and Gideon in.

Paz hadn't realized at first glance that this old cabin was the Mystery Shack of town gossip until she stepped on the porch. She'd never investigated the Shack in person like the rest of the students in her class did. Not that she was scared of the old place, but she really didn't need to get arrested. Just a bit of research could put those ghost stories to rest. And yet… being this close to the spooky old house, she couldn't help think that some of the rumors had to be true. Various stories from the townsfolk began to swirl through her head. A place where alien invasions had once been staged. A murder hut. A secret entrance to where government conspiracies were stored. Elvis' vacation home. It could be anything!

Mostly, it was a pile of dust. But beneath all the clutter and between the support beams that were just ready to crack, Paz could see the signs of a mystery ready to unfold! Brushing her hand against the wallpaper that was peeling off, she could make out some sort of strange equation using symbols that didn't even look like Greek to her. What was it?

Gideon made his way into the living room area, plopping himself onto the lumpy couch. The seat quickly gave into his weight, sucking in the small boy like quicksand. Gideon tried to jump out of the seat, sliding over to the seat beside it to sit on. It was much harder and firmer than the couch… and misshapen… maybe it was more of a cluttered side table he jumped on? It was hard to tell with this poor lighting. He looked down at his 'seat' to discover that it was less of a piece of furniture, and more of a dinosaur skull that someone threw a tea cozy on. Gideon was half scared out of his wits, and the other half curious as to what the story behind it was. After the initial shock wore off, he decided that this old house was definitely the extremely cool mysterious Pines Bros. lair that he'd dreamed of.

Bud came in to sit down on the couch, snuggly fitting himself in the old cochins. It was then with all the attention on her that Paz realized she hadn't really planned for this. Did she expect she could give a vague warning about the Pines and then walk away and they'd accept it? Man, those creepy guys at the beginning of horror movies made it look so easy. Then again, they didn't generally get believed either.

"There's a lot of strange things that have been going around the Pines… I know it might sound crazy, but there's a lot of suspicious business going on with them. Things going missing, people behaving strange after one of their shows… and today more than ever I know it's not just some bad feelings!" She exclaimed. She was already getting some strange looks from Bud. But after what she heard from the Pines twins today, she knew it couldn't just be a string of coincidences or misunderstandings.

"Today the Pines twins tried to-" But she stopped herself mid-sentence when she started to run through her head exactly what they tried to do. Trade her off to be some kind of gnome queen in exchange for the creatures doing their dirty work. Oh yeah, that certainly didn't sound crazy at all. Let alone to someone who just moved into Gravity Falls and didn't see any of the weird stuff going on. Even the people that did live here were still in denial.

Paz took a deep sigh as she tried again. "Well, the twins want to get in this place real bad… and Stanford doesn't want you in it, so there has to be something in this old place. Some kind of treasure hidden away? Some hidden power to unlock?" Paz offered. But she knew she was grasping at straws. She had no idea what the Pines wanted with the place. The whole point of her trying to earn their trust was to figure out for herself

Bud scratched his head, not sure how much of this he even wanted to believe. Even after Stanford had been rude to him, it was hard to imagine one of his heroes up to any suspicious behavior.

"Well, he's had this old place for years, hasn't he? If he wanted to do something shady with the place, wouldn't he have done it already?" Bud pointed out.

That was true… but Paz knew for sure the twins wanted something with it! "Well, maybe it's some kind of dirty secret of his that he's trying to hide… or he has something important left in this place…"

Bud smiled, got out of the seat and patted Paz on the head. "Exactly- it's probably just the place that's important to him. Sentimental value and all."

While that was a possibility, Gideon wasn't too sure of it either. Stan seemed awfully determined to get them out of there. He didn't even ask to visit or come in if it was a matter of 'sentimental value'. Not to mention, wouldn't he keep this place in better shape? Still, the answer was much simpler and easier to believe than Stanford being up to something nefarious. Paz looked like she was having trouble finding the right words. If she really did have proof of the Pines misdeeds, she would have said it by now. Gideon was inclined to believe there was something more to this, but his dad wasn't going to accept any of it without some harder evidence. Meaning it was up to them to find it.

"Whatever is going through Stanford's head, he seems downright determined to keep us out of here. But you bought this place fair and square, Pop! Let's just focus on getting ourselves settled first." Gideon suggested. For now, it would be better to just redirect his attention.

Now that was something Bud was willing to get behind. All this conspiracy talk was troubling. An honest hard day's work was much simpler to deal with. "I do believe you're right, son. And there's a whole lot to do- Need to see what the roof situation is like, the whole house will probably have to be repainted and if the electricity is working, fingers crossed the plumbing is up to snuff too…"

Bud continued listing off various things he needed to check out. But Paz already looked somewhat defeated. She could see that Bud wasn't buying into this whole "Pines family plot" business. But while Gideon didn't know for sure if there was anything, she wouldn't have to look into it alone.

"Hey Pops, why don't you start checking to see what kind of contractors need to get called in? Maybe I can start with taking pictures of the place- you know, to make sure we don't mess with anything important and take the 'before pics' and such." Gideon suggested. He then turned to Paz with a light smile. "If you wanted to help me out and look around, I'd be welcome for the extra set of hands."

Paz's eyes lit up again at the opportunity. Maybe this wasn't over just yet. "Yes! Definitely! Absolutely!" She immediately exclaimed.

"Oh, you don't have to do that." Bud insisted trying to be polite.

"It's no trouble at all, Mr. Gleeful!" Paz exclaimed as she dug into one of her jacket pockets pulling out a pastel pink digital camera. "I can share all the pictures with you once we're done! I'd love to take a look around for myself too!"

Bud smiled and nodded. "Well, if you're so sure, I'll leave you two to it then! Just be careful- this old place could be too fragile. Wouldn't want you falling through any floor boards!" Bud warned.

"Now if you'll excuse me, as my first matter of business I need to figure out if the water is still running…" He said as he nervously shifted off in his quest to find a bathroom. That extra-large soft drink was not the best purchase before a long car trip.

With the elder Gleeful gone, Paz's attention was now on Gideon. He certainly knew how to work his way around his father. The kid was clever, she had to give him that. But did he believe her much more than he did?

"So… what are your theories on this place then?" Paz asked him, trying to figure out his thoughts.

Gideon smiled at the thought of a new mystery. Oh, he certainly had plenty of ideas before they came to the door. "Well… it's the old place of the Pines brothers, right? They've got to have all kinds of cool stuff hidden around here. If there are any secrets in here, I'm betting it's the supernatural kind! Imagine the kinds of things the two of them got up to in here!" He exclaimed eager. While he doubted any magical critters were still alive, there had to be some kind of remnant of their circus days. Some kind of spell book, or explanation to the strange stuff they revealed in their shows.

Paz hadn't even thought of that side to the story. This wasn't just Stanford's house after all. Stanley was supposed to have been the big famous one. The both of them started the circus, but Stanley was the face of it. Or well, they both kind of had the same face being twins and all, but while Stanford was the recluse that stayed mostly to himself, Stanley was the one that went on tour and stayed in the center ring. Paz had heard that he died in some kind of car crash, but a lot of people had suspected foul play. Not that anyone could prove it. The cops hadn't looked too closely into the investigation. Some believed that the cops were paid off while others thought the old ringmaster was still out there, choosing to remain hidden from the public eye. Maybe that's what got Stanford so worried about this place. Some kind of evidence linking him to his brother's disappearance? Or maybe he had the man chained up in the basement somewhere! Although if Dipper and Mabel were so eager to get in, maybe it was just a matter of something rare and powerful hidden in here. If the Gleefuls had moved in suddenly there was a chance that the Pines didn't have a chance to move out whatever mystic junk they might have.

Paz smiled back at him and nodded. "I guess… I'm sure we're bound to find something." Paz said as she looked around what was probably some kind of living room. Although it was hard to call it that with all the strange objects and dust laying around. More like someone attempted to make the place livable long ago with the addition of normal things like a couch and TV, but the invasion of oddities seemed to have taken over. Paz snapped a picture of what looked like some kind of shriveled up monkey-mermaid skeleton. It was hard to tell if they were dead to begin with or if they were just like that from lack of care and attention. Was it even real, or just some fake freak show bit?

"Woah! Look at this!" Gideon said as he kneeled to the bottom of a shelf where a dusty old jar filled with what looked like eyeballs was stashed.

Paz stared back at all of the eyeballs. Woah… were those all human? "You think they're real?" Paz wondered, half grossed out and half curious as to why you'd even keep a bunch of eyeballs like that.

Gideon had a wide grin on his face. "Don't know! But this is just the tip of the ice berg!" He exclaimed as he turned to the specimen on the shelf above this. "Look! I think it's some kind of stuffed dodo bird!"

Whether or not there was actually something nefarious between the walls of the Mystery Shack, Gideon and Paz couldn't help but finding all of this cool. Steampunk-looking technology, stone tablets, skeletons of impossible creatures- this place seemed like a treasure trove alright! Nothing evil villain mastermind kind of trouble, but man there was something in every inch of the place. Hours easily passed, and the two hadn't even gotten to the second floor of the house.

"It's better than anything I could have imagined!" Gideon squealed as he looked through a supposed book on Atlantian culture- he couldn't understand a word of it, but man did it seem more than just some made up fantasy jargon!

Paz hadn't expected this level of mysteries, but it was certainly a welcome surprise. "I know! Much better than all the horror stories everyone else has come up with! You and your dad will make a fortune if you try and show some of this stuff off!" Paz remarked as she took a picture of a tapestry hung up on the wall. Only the second she did, her camera started beeping.

"Awe, come on, really? Filled up already?" She complained as she tried to look through the gallery of photos for something she could erase. They'd already gone through the backup batteries. How had they hit hundreds of photos already?

Gideon wasn't surprised at all. "Don't worry 'bout it! Shouldn't be too difficult to pull out my camera from all the moving gear! But we've already got plenty to look at as is- why don't we take a little break?" Gideon suggested.

Paz hadn't stopped smiling for a second in all this excitement. It was like all the weird stuff in Gravity Falls was pulled together under one roof. She'd never been interested in all that Pines Bros. circus nonsense. She'd assumed it all had to be fake. But while some of this looked hokey, the sheer amount of it all couldn't help peek her curiosity. The thoughts of whatever the Pines were plotting was far from Paz's head as she tried to figure out what all this stuff could possibly be.

"Oh! This is perfect!" Gideon said as he pulled out a dusty box from beneath a stack of papers. "Look!"

Paz turned around expecting some kind of freaky futuristic doodad. Instead, he held up a box with some hand drawn dragons, elves and wizards painted on it. Paz raised an eyebrow confused. "Out of all the real weird stuff around this place, you go for the stuff that's actually made up?"

"This isn't just 'made up'- it's custom!" Gideon cried out in joy as he tried to clear a spot on the floor to open up the box. "Clearly it's some sort of edition of Dungeons, Dungeons and More Dungeons… but I've never seen anything like it! I don't know if this is some special edition that didn't make it on the market or if the Pines brothers themselves decided to go ahead and make their own version! Maybe this is some kind of weird magical version that comes to life!"

Despite the supposed threat, he was already tearing apart the material. He shook happily fists full of dice of numerous sides, examining the different strange symbols on them.

"Piell Birch?" Paz questioned as she looked at the illustrations on a character sheet. Looked like some kind of wizard character.

Gideon only continued to geek out with each new page in the box. "They made their own classes too! And hand drawn terrain! We have got to get a game in! Please tell me you know how to play!" Gideon exclaimed. Surely a fellow person into all of these kind of strange commodities would share his love of D3!

Paz scratched her head nervously. "Well… I've never tried it before…" She admitted. Frankly, she had the image of a bunch of nerdy college students huddled up in their mom's basement with loads of junk food and pit cola burned into her head whenever she thought of the game. Probably wasn't true, but it didn't make her too excited to go out and play a game.

"I'm sure you'll have loads of fun!" Gideon insisted. Frankly, this day had already been more than he could have ever hoped for, even with Stanford's rude interruption. He was smiling so wide, he was sure his freckles were about to pop right off his cheeks.

Although Paz wasn't sure about the game, she had to admit that some of these illustrations were impressive. They were hand drawn alright… but did some circus performers really spend their time drawing up tabletop games? Maybe someone just tried to pitch it to them. Paz lifted up what she was sure was meant to be some playing field map, only it seemed to be extremely detailed. The thin lines of the graph paper were hardly visible anymore beneath the extensive illustrations of each little tree.

"Are they normally this detailed?" Paz wondered. Even if she didn't know how to play the game, she could at least appreciate the art behind it.

Gideon took a look at what Paz's attention was on. "Well… no, actually. It's too cluttered to fit your characters in… well besides in this clearing here. Most of the maps are supposed to be blank so you can make your own. Sometimes they'll give you a sample dungeon to try out or see how they're made, but this one is practically unplayable." He admitted. For a custom edition that seemed very well put together, this playing field seemed to be way out of place. Maybe it was just meant to be concept art for the region?

Paz probably would have just shrugged it off if it weren't for the strange symbol in the corner. A 6-fingered hand drawn with a golden pen. "Is this part of the game too?" She asked. She had sworn she had seen it somewhere around the house today.

Gideon shook his head again. "Don't think so. I mean, a lot of this game is about your own character creation and making up a story… It may have just been a part of this epic quest." He suggested. But he had to admit it all seemed off. "But it doesn't seem like it's an in game map… are you thinking-"

"-That it's a real map?" Paz finished. It seemed like they were on the same wavelength. "Look at how the clearing winds through the thin road… surrounded by all these trees- I think it's where we are now!" She exclaimed. There weren't any definable landmarks, and the only symbol on it was the hand in the corner. It took someone who played this game to know that this wasn't just another normal part of it. They just needed the last key to solve the puzzle.

"I think I saw this symbol on one of the walls!" Paz said picking up the map and rushing it over toward the backroom. Gideon followed her, eager to find whatever treasure this map might lead to.

It was small, but Paz first noticed the symbol next to some rolled up carpet. "Yes! It has to be a map!" Paz said eagerly pointing to what looked like some kind of distance scale a few inches from the hand. Among all the scribblings, it probably just looked like another elaborate math problem with a weird symbol.

Gideon nodded, taking the map from Paz's hands and placing it on the wall. The two golden hand symbols lined up perfectly. The light graph paper was designed to be easily seen through- that way you could layer your terrains on top of a field or unveil the traps in a room. But in this case, it allowed for them to see a marking lining up with one of the trees on the map.

"X marks the spot!" Gideon declared, ecstatic at having discovered the key. "Wait… no, it's a 3? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't know." Paz admitted as she took a pencil out of her jacket pocket, marking on the map where the 3 was. "Wanna find out?"

* * *

Zlwk hbhv doo durxqg wkhuh'v qr rqh brx fdq wuxvw

Doo ri wkdw nqrzohgjh zloo eh ohiw wr wkh gxvw

/ Φ \

Hlnvdsviv rm gsv dllwh z Qlfimzo orvh

Hslfow rg uzoo rmgl gsv dilmt szmwh, sv droo lmxv ztzrm irhv


	7. Trust

Hundreds of questions were swimming through Gideon and Paz's heads as they trekked through forest, following the map to their treasure. What did the 3 or six fingered hand mean? What was so important that the person went to such lengths to hide it? Was it the Pines brothers that hid it, or some unknown third party they were involved with? Paz was bouncing with each step as Gideon tried to figure out the distance key to make sure they were headed to the right place. They walked along the main road between the town and Mystery Shack. The location the 3 marked couldn't be too far off from here.

"Whatever it is should be right about… here!" Gideon exclaimed looking up from the map. He wasn't sure if he expected to see some kind of giant X on the ground, some oversized treasure chest or a glowing landmark, but he wasn't expecting a whole lot of nothing. Gideon blinked, as he tried to figure out what he was looking at. Sure, come to think of it there was no way that it could have been noticed as people were just traveling down the road. But shouldn't there be something that didn't just look like the rest of the woods?

The only means to tell this patch of dirt from the rest of the trees that lined the road was the large fallen tree. "Maybe it's in here?" Paz wondered as she knocked on the dead tree. But it seemed solid enough. Normal moss, normal tree, and nothing hidden in the roots pulled out of the ground.

Paz gave a shrug as she leaned against the trunk. "Maybe it's buried? Probably should have brought shovels if we were going on some kind of treasure hunt…"

"I just don't understand…. There has to be something here." Gideon mumbled. Gideon fiddled with his hat frustrated, tucking some of the locks of white hair back under it. "At least some kind of clue to where the next piece of the puzzle is… did someone else find it?"

Gideon leaned against the trunk of another tree, only to get a loud hollow thunk. His eyes widened to attention. He immediately moved off the tree, wondering what that could be about. Paz jumped off of her resting spot, quick to give this odd tree a big knock. A grin spread across her face as she heard a nice hollow echo that sounded more like she was hitting a metal object than wood.

"It's hollow alright! The perfect hiding spot!" Paz confirmed as she started looking for an opening.

Gideon was the first one to find the crease in the tree. There were plenty of markings on the tree to make it look natural- it even had fake moss and mushrooms on it. But nature couldn't create such a straight line. With a little force, the metal panel opened.

"What… is it?" Gideon wondered aloud as he stared at the strange metal device inside the tree.

"Ah yes, my extensive knowledge of secret steampunk devices that are ancient looking but probably advanced technology finally comes in handy!" Paz remarked nodding. "And it tells me to start pushing buttons!"

"Stop!" Gideon yelled quickly grabbing Paz's arm to stop her. "What if it blows us up or something?! It could be some kind of doomsday device!"

Paz rolled her eyes. "Come on, who leaves those just hanging around? Especially not in a flammable place like the woods. Unless it's a remote detonator…" Paz considered. Then again, it did look pretty broken. "Well, one way to find out!" Paz said as she reached over to poke a button. Nothing was big and red, but there were a few switches and such. Something had to be the power button!

Gideon flinched as if expecting some kind of explosion, but it didn't come. "Huh… is it busted?" He wondered disappointed.

"Not while I've still got stuff to try!" Paz exclaimed trying out one of the switches on top. The two were both shocked when they actually heard a mechanical whir coming from behind them. Both their heads shot around to see a trapdoor opening.

Gideon cautiously approached the opening in the ground. Paz on the other hand had difficulty holding back her excitement.

"It's… some kind of book?" Paz questioned. She'd been expecting some kind of treasure, but she knew that a book could just as easily hold all kinds of valuable information. She was about to reach for it when Gideon stopped her again.

"Hold your horses!" He yelled. "Haven't you watched any kind of action adventure movie? This thing could be loaded with traps!"

Paz had to hold her arms still as she glared down at the dusty book filled with who knew what kind of super-secret information. Was it a secret diary? A spell tome? Some sort of gathering of all kinds of conspiracies? Gideon had broken off a branch from the dead tree and was moving it about in the little space, but all he was doing was clearing the cobwebs. There was no axe to slice his hand off or army of snakes to be unleashed. As they both kneeled there, Paz couldn't wait any longer for the secrets to unfold.

"There! It's safe!" Paz exclaimed reaching down to grab the book and slammed it on the grass. Paz brushed the dust off the cover, earning her a thick black smudge on her pinky. But it revealed exactly what they'd been looking for.

"The 3… the 6 fingered hand… this is it!" Gideon cheered. He honestly couldn't blame Paz for being so impatient. This was the kind of mystery that people hunted their entire lives for, and they'd been lucky enough to come across it in an afternoon! He doubted it was because they were just that good- this just seemed to be the tip of the ice berg of the kind of secrets the Mystery Shack held. The two huddled close together to make out what they could.

Gideon carefully flipped open the cover, not sure how fragile the old book was. There seemed to be all kinds of papers and things sticking out of it. Unsurprisingly, it seemed to be handwritten. Not like this looked like the kind of thing that was commonly published. Unfortunately, the name under "Property Of" was torn out.

Paz on the other hand was more interested in the monocle laying above the words 'Vol. 3'. The second she touched it, she could feel the warmth in her hands. It gave out a thin golden glow as it shifted between her fingers. It was like the feeling of an Ouija board weakly pulling in one direction. It continued to shift until it was perfectly in line with Paz's left eye. Paz could have sworn she saw the image of an eye within the glass, but it could have just as easily been a reflection of her own. The monocle then shifted in the direction of Gideon to match up to his right eye, and this time there was no mistaking it. It felt like someone was watching them.

The glow and warmth then ceased, but Paz continued to examine the monocle trying to figure out what it could be. "Magic book then!" She called out cheerfully.

Gideon was more concerned about the possibilities. Eyes could be a symbol of enlightenment or knowledge of the unknown, but more times than not they were the sign of some kind of greater evil always watching. True, those types usually stuck with blood reds, slime greens, and other more menacing colors than gold, but he doubted real evil paid attention to a color chart. This could be something really dangerous they were getting themselves involved in.

Paz picked up on the worried expression on Gideon's face. "You scared?" She asked. It wasn't a taunt or a way to tease him. She needed to know his level of tolerance for the strange and supernatural. Because compared to the rest of Gravity Falls, this was just a hint of things to come.

"No!" Gideon immediately exclaimed not wanting to appear like a wimp in front of his new friend. But there was a sinking feeling that came across him as he looked down at the old Journal in front of them. Something felt wrong. "Ok, maybe a little… but you don't hide an old book in the woods with a secret map to find it because it makes good pleasure reading. It's not just weird… there's something bad in here."

Paz knew what he meant. The book might not be bound with the flesh of the innocents or anything, but it certainly gave off that vibe of something wicked. Yet at the same time, Paz found it impossible just to turn away now. She needed to know what this was all about. "You can turn back if you want. I wouldn't blame you…"

"No." Gideon said firmly. "Don't matter if I'm scared. This could be something big. I'm not going to turn away."

Paz nodded in agreement. "Then we press on." Paz turned the page to reveal some kind of introductory page. Gideon began to read aloud as he tried to make out the text bellow.

" _June 18_ _th_ _. I've devoted my life to uncovering the strange and supernatural secrets this world has to offer, yet I feel like I'm no closer to the truth than when I began. Gravity Falls is where the answers lie_."

They both shot each other a quick look. Paz knew that Gravity Falls was hardly the most normal place, but how much was Gideon willing to believe? Gideon began to flip past a few pages of diagrams, strange creatures and codes trying to get an idea of what exactly what this book had to offer. But he was stopped in his tracks by a page with huge bolded letters underlined and pointed to.

TRUST NO ONE!

Gideon had only intended to glance through the book before giving it a more careful read later, but he couldn't bring himself away from the page.

" _I've been looking at this all wrong. I've been lied to. The truth hasn't just been hidden- it's all a grander plot. There's no telling what will happen to me now that I've begun to see. I must make sure this knowledge isn't lost. Remember- his influence is everywhere... trust no one_."

Gideon read that last part quietly and let the silence hang. He looked toward Paz whom he'd only just met today. How much did she really know? She seemed to think that the Mystery Shack held something the Pines supposedly wanted. What if she wanted it too? She hardly looked like a schemer, but the fact remained that he knew almost nothing about her. She wasn't sharing everything she knew about the Pines. She didn't show any signs of disbelief of any of the strange things in the Mystery Shack they found all day. She didn't seem to run from the strange. She dove right in. And it worried him to think how far she'd go. Was Pacifica Northwest someone he could trust?

Paz wanted to quickly flip to the next page and find out what was going on. Heck, she wanted to dive into this whole thing and dissect each little word and picture. But something was clearly troubling Gideon about that last passage. Trust no one. 3 words that could create a stronger barrier than any physical wall. As much as Paz wanted to figure out what was going on here, she refused to believe in those words. She'd been investigating things alone for too long. She was tired of people not believing her, brushing her off, or too scared to continue. More than a book filled with all the secrets she could hope for she needed a friend to face the unknown with. A partner.

Paz closed the Journal and put her hand on Gideon's shoulder. "I don't really know what much of this is about, but I don't want to face it alone. I know we've just met and I'm only a little more than a stranger, but there's a lot of weird and dangerous stuff out there. Too much for one person to bare. You can't just 'trust no one'… you just can't."

Paz looked Gideon in the eyes. It was difficult to know or judge a person from only an afternoon, but she could see that he was a good person. He stood up for his family. He was curious. He was scared and cautious about a lot of things, but not enough to let it stop him from getting what he wanted. Paz felt like she could trust him. And she wanted him to be able to trust her too.

Gideon returned Paz's gaze, and admittedly found it hard to think of her as a bad person. Maybe it was just the fact that he didn't have a good friend himself in a while. Something as silly as white hair and short stature made him an easy target for bullying. He was smarter than his classmates, but that only meant they had more of a reason to pick on him, steal his homework and copy off the class nerd. Gideon was grateful for the opportunity to have a fresh new start in Gravity Falls. Making a friend on his first day wasn't something he should be suspicious of. He needed to give her a chance.

"I… I understand." Gideon said nodding. Trust wasn't something that could be gained in an afternoon of mystery hunting, but he shouldn't let a couple of words keep him from it for good. Gideon stood up and tucked the Journal in his vest. "Maybe we should read this somewhere a little less spooky…"

Paz nodded in agreement as she stood up next to him. "Yeah, maybe that will help."

But the woods hold a danger that Paz had been quick to forget. She'd dismissed it with the Pines Twins out of the way, but it was still there.

"Hey guys! Come around here! I found her!" A low gravelly voice called out.

Paz's eyes darted to the source of the voice. Oh no… they were still out here?! How dangerous were the gnomes even? No matter how wimpy they looked, if they had the whole afternoon to fan out searching for her, they probably had gathered their numbers up.

Paz quickly took Gideon's hand. "Run."

While he wasn't sure whether or not to trust her yet, when someone says run, you don't tend to argue. He picked up the pace as he followed Paz. "What are we running from?!" Gideon exclaimed.

"Just run!" Paz exclaimed as she looked all around her for the little bearded men. She was sure if Gideon took a moment to look at the little guys, he'd probably dismiss them as a threat. But Paz had seen a handful of cute pixies turn into an unholy plague swarm in ten seconds flat. You did not underestimate these kind of things. The two of them had trekked down the road from the Mystery Shack for about 10 minutes before reaching here. They just had to make it back in a quarter of that time. The gnomes had complained about not being able to get into the Shack, right? So they could be safe there!

"Alright everyone! Get into position! Just like we practiced!" One yelled. It sounded like the one Paz encountered earlier.

As the ground shook, Paz could hold her curiosity back no longer. She really wished she hadn't. What she thought would be just a scrambled force of little men swarming toward them was instead a hulking mass of red pointed hats and beards that towered above the trees. But now with Paz's head turned, Gideon couldn't help looking as well.

"JESUS H. CHRIST ON A POPSICLE STICK?! WHAT IS THAT?!" He yelled out panicked.

Paz yanked Gideon behind her. They had no time to stare in terror. "Gnomes I think! Keep going! I think we'll be safe at the Shack!"

"What's a little old house going to do against a monster like that?!" Gideon exclaimed.

"Just trust me!" Paz yelled as she continued to keep running.

She could see the old house up ahead they were so close! The giant gnome behind them began shooting gnomes in their path. The pair had to leap over the miniature men and evade their grasp. But the true threat was getting closer behind them.

"Come on, don't you believe in love? Most successful romances are forced into! Just think of it as a blind marriage!" The leader of the gnomes called out. But neither of them slowed.

Paz herself wasn't exactly sure how the Mystery Shack could stop this thing either, but it was their only shot. Nothing seemed to happen as Gideon and Paz stepped on the porch.

"Keep going! Maybe we can make it this time!" The head gnome shouted.

As they opened the door and piled in, Paz prayed this would work. She slammed the door behind them and both kids kept their backs to the door, expecting to have the weak structure fall apart behind them.

"What are they even chasing us for?!" Gideon demanded now that they had reached their destination. Whether it was a safe house or the end of the line was yet to be seen.

"The Pines twins- they promised them me as their queen or something if they could manage to get into this house!" Paz quickly explained. With seeing the gnomes for himself, there was no way Gideon would call that part of the story crazy.

Gideon's eyes widened. "Wait, so they can get in?!" He exclaimed panicked.

His question was answered by the sound of pounding, but it wasn't at the door. Paz looped around to the window to try and get a better look at what was going on. Wiping the glass with her jacket sleeve, she expected to see the gnome giant breaking down the walls. Instead, it was stopped a few feet from the Mystery Shack. Each time it pounded the air in front of them, a golden barrier shimmered to stop the brute force attack. Paz and Gideon watched in awe at the strange invisible force field protecting the Mystery Shack. Whatever it was, it was strong enough to hold against the brute force of the giant.

"Come on, we were so close!" One gnome yelled. Shouts of Queen echoed around as well.

The brown haired gnome took charge again. "Relax guys, we still got them cornered! There's no way they can last in there for long. Just need to get a schedule written up, take shifts, and we'll be ready for them the second they step out. Just a good old fashion fortress siege!" He pointed out. The giant gnome began to disperse into squads that surrounded the perimeter of the Mystery Shack.

For a legion of miniature monsters, Gideon had to admit they were a lot more organized than he expected. "What do they even need a queen for?" He wondered confused. "And if they could get you on their own, what did they need the Pines for?"

Paz shrugged. "Don't know…" And while she admitted it was probably a terrible idea, she opened the window and decided to ask them. "Hey guys! What do you need a queen for?! And why are you working with the Pines?!" She yelled.

"Ah, ready to open up negotiations already!" The head gnome shouted. "So, I'm Jeff- I'll take care of the terms of the arrangement- Uh… any chance you could let us in and we can stop shouting?"

"NO! How stupid do you think we are?!" Gideon shouted back. Although he still wasn't sure what was going through Paz's head with opening the window. What if it broke whatever weird spell was keeping them safe?

"Geeze, calm down! I'm sure we can reach a compromise here!" Jeff retorted. "I mean, you can't stay in there forever. Send the girl out, and she gets to be the leader of one of the most powerful races in the forest. Doesn't that sound swell?"

The leader? Not that she was interested in living in the forest with a bunch of little bearded men, but that did give her an idea.

"But you already make such a great leader! Why should you have to take orders from anyone?" Paz called out trying her best to butter them up.

Gideon was confused for a moment why she was complementing them, but started to get an idea of her plan. "Oh yeah. Most threatening force I've had to recon with!" Gideon agreed. Granted, there wasn't much competition at the moment.

Jeff scratched his head embarrassed from the flattery. "Well, thanks! I've been doing my best to keep us all together! Hard to fill the old Queen's shoes, but you got to rise to the occasion, you know?"

Paz nodded, surprised that this was going so well. "You should be the new Queen… er, King? You know what, go with President! We live in a democracy! If you're the man for the job, Jeff, why let silly old tradition keep you in the Stone Age?" Paz recommended.

There was discussion going between the gnomes, some on questioning the idea of a queen, some suggesting they could make a better leader, others arguing to keep tradition. While Jeff did like the idea of being permanent gnome leader, he wasn't sure if it was as simple as calling this whole quest for a new queen off.

"I mean, we got to have a strong leader and all… how are all the other tribes of the forest supposed to take us seriously without a queen? If we fail to round up a new queen we'd lose any sort of reputation we have!" Jeff pointed out.

For some reason, that struck a chord with Gideon. Sure, resorting to kidnaping was a bit extreme, but these weren't the big and scary monsters lurking in the woods. These were the little guys. Probably got insulted a lot and looked down on. And the idea of other 'tribes of the forest' made Gideon wonder. How many other creatures were there out in Gravity Falls? Were they all intelligent like the gnomes? Or at least in terms of human speech. Even if they could manage to find out whatever secrets were in this new Journal or find out what kind of arsenal the Mystery Shack had, they weren't going to make it by infuriating every magical creature in the woods. The gnomes were their first challenge, and they wouldn't be their last.

"So what?!" Gideon yelled. He gave a look at Paz, knowing that they needed to move their game up from flattering act to a sincere motion if they wanted to do more than win the day. He moved away from the window, and put his hand on the door knob. He was probably crazy to try this. Every instinct was telling him to run, but he needed to have courage here. Gideon opened the door to face the army of gnomes, unsure if it would break whatever protection kept them safe. But he couldn't just hide if he planned on making it in this town.

"Look at you all! You can go from a huge army of individual soldiers to a huge hulking force of nature! Doesn't matter if everyone thinks you're the little guys! There's strength in numbers, and you guys have got numbers to spare!" Gideon called out to them as he stepped off the porch. All the gnomes' eyes were on him. They weren't sure if the open door meant the barrier was down, but not a single one flinched to swarm him.

"You guys don't need some outsider to lead you or to give you orders. Big foot and the Yetti should be scared of the likes of you! They'd all be lucky to call you friend! Don't let anyone push you around. You gnomes don't need a queen. And you don't need to do the dirty work for the Pines!"

At the mention of the Pines, every gnome shuttered in terror. Gideon had no idea what kind of power was behind that name for the supernatural creatures. They gave each other looks of fear and there were panicked whispers between them.

One of the older looking gnomes stepped forward, removing his cap in shame. "You don't know what you're talking about. The Pines… there's no fighting them. You can't begin to understand the power they possess. Gravity Falls… it belongs to them. It's been that way for a while now."

Darn… Paz thought for sure that Gideon's speech was working. She'd been so proud of him mustering up his strength to go out there and face the gnomes eye to eye. But they weren't out of hot water yet. The hold that the Pines had on the gnomes was different than the one they held on humans. One was a look of adoration. This one was pure fear. What had the Pines done to invoke such a reaction out of the legion that could have easily smashed and taken what they wanted if her and Gideon were just a bit slower? Maybe Paz and Gideon didn't understand everything just yet. But Gideon was right- they couldn't let the Pines bully them all. They had to ban together.

Paz stepped out the door and joined Gideon outside. "No matter what they've got up their sleeve, that doesn't mean we stop fighting. The Pines think they can just take whatever they want. That they can treat everyone as if they were beneath them. They isolate people. Make them feel alone. But you all have each other! You're never alone!" Paz called out as she looked at all the gnomes. They were strange and weird, but they had their own lives. She'd seen them around town. They were scavengers, but they were a part of Gravity Falls.

Paz took a deep breath. Gideon had been the one to first make this crazy move. He had more strength than she first gave him credit for. She needed to follow suit. Paz stepped past where the golden barrier once shimmered and extended her hand out to the gnomes.

"I don't want to be your queen- I want to be your ally. Together, we'll figure out what the Pines are planning. Whatever rule they have over this forest, it's coming to an end." Paz declared.

The gnomes shifted their gaze between Gideon and Paz. One was small like them, even sharing their common trait of white hair. He seemed to understand them better than anyone. The other had a fire in her eyes. A will to fight rather than scamper away. It was that kind of fire that they looked for in a queen. And now she was among them. They could grab her now and take what they want.

Jeff looked at the gesture dumbfounded. He knew they had to come out eventually, but this soon? But they weren't doing this out of stupidity. They were doing it out of trust. No one ever trusted the gnomes like that. Take what you can. It was a common mantra within the gnomes. But to be given something like trust… and more than that, a chance. No more orders or being looked down on. The gnomes could show how powerful they were by overthrowing the ones that everyone feared. They could rise to the heights they'd always dreamed of.

Jeff jumped on the head of one of the gnomes that was eagerly reaching for Paz. They needed someone to keep them all in line, and he had to agree with the two- Jeff was the gnome for the job!

"Alrighty missy! You got yourself an alliance!"

* * *

Hdfk slhfh ri wkh fkdlq nhsw lq fkhfn eb srzhu

Kxpdq, ghprq, prqvwhu doo vrrq zloo frzhu

/ Φ \

Gsv kldvi lu uozggvib xzm gzpv blf uzi

Yfg tvggrmt xzftsg rm blfi ldm dliwh xzm xszmtv dsl blf ziv

* * *

Author's note: Alright, that ends the "Tourist Trapped" Arc. Hope you're all enjoying the ride so far! Not sure how many people are actually decoding the ciphers at the end of the chapter, so please let me know if you're enjoying those. Comments help keep me motivated, so please feel free to share your thoughts! Looks like I'm going to be continuing to regularly update my new GF fic, Cops and Robbers (Which I expected to only be a one shot, but ended up doing pretty well on AO3) so my attention will now be split between the two. I'm going to keep trying to weekly update both, but an extra fic may make that more of an update every week and a half. I'll see how things go!

Also, you probably noticed the Journal lines are much different than the ones in the show. With a different turn of canon, it also means that the author writing the Journals may have approached things from a different mindset. Some Journal entries remain, others are completely different. There are also more tricks and turns such as the monocle and the Mystery Shack's barrier. Keep on the look out for more additions!


	8. A Little Help

_"Are you ok?!"_

 _"Now I am… I would have been a goner if it weren't for you!"_

 _"Don't you know it's dangerous to wander in the woods on your own?!"_

 _"Then what are_ you _doing on your own?"_

 _"I'm never alone… And if you plan on coming back through this way, you shouldn't ever be either."_

 _"Who are you?"_

 _"I was hoping… could I be a friend?"_

Paz only had a vague recollection of the dream that just passed through her head. The faces, place, and words were already starting to fade from her mind as she stared up at the ceiling...

Wait, it was a ceiling! As nice as a skylight to see the stars at night as it was, it was amazing to see that the hole in the roof was now patched up. Glancing to her right, the stack of snacks and goodies placed in this room were gone. Turns out that you could in fact get brownies to work for brownies!

Their first order of business had been to make the Mystery Shack both livable and functional. Unfortunately, every contractor, plumber, or any worker in home improvement in general suddenly became immensely busy once they heard what the location was. Maybe they were just superstitious about the old shack. Or maybe they didn't want to get on Stan Pines' bad side. But that just meant they needed to get creative.

If the human population of Gravity Falls couldn't help them, then perhaps the more unusual one could. The journal listed a multitude of different creatures that resided in Gravity Falls, as well as their weaknesses, uses and how to bind or form a contract with them. The methods ranged to luring in lepricorns with a bowl of marshmallow cereal to putting a fae in your debt enough to grant you magical favors.

They weren't going to start with anything too fancy though. The brownies were a much shyer cousin of gnomes and elves. The Journal explained how they'd do basic housework and tasks, and were probably the real ones behind that whole "shoemaker elves" story, matching the brownies' MO closer. However, you couldn't exactly use them as a team of maids. The Journal underlined that a few times along with the words "So much for a supernatural cleaning service". The food left for them wasn't to be called payment, but instead gifts. You didn't order them around, they did as much or as little as they pleased. And if they got peeved for any reason or felt like they were being mistreated, they would leave on the spot. Paz wasn't sure if they were just sticklers for etiquette, or actually had a good sense of self-respect.

Honestly, Gideon and Paz weren't sure how much to expect when they found the page in the Journal. It honestly had started as a "Just cleaning this house is going to take _forever_ " and instead wanting to hide away and examine the Journal more. But while Paz wasn't expected to do any of the work, Bud wouldn't exactly "let Gideon come out to play" until the Mystery Shack was in working order. So Paz could either pitch in, or see if the Journal perhaps had more than just descriptions of monsters that went bump in the night.

There weren't exactly any cleaning spells, but the brownies seemed harmless enough. Paz and Gideon had wanted to try out meeting some of the less threatening creatures in Gravity Falls, so maybe this was a good start. Sure, even the gnomes turned out to be more troublesome than they looked, but at least the brownies didn't breathe fire or cause earthquakes when they yawned. Getting more information from the gnomes, they confirmed that the brownies probably would help them out. The gnomes called the little guys suck ups, but for a box of cookies, they were willing to put in a good word and pass along to their supernatural cousins that they were "welcome over at the Mystery Shack for the night".

An invitation would get them over the barrier, but it was falling asleep that night that was rough. It would only work if the brownies weren't seen or interfered with. Gideon was already having a hard enough time accepting that monsters lived within the woods of Gravity Falls, let alone inviting them into your own home. Paz didn't think it would be an issue. Looking at the entry in the Journal, it occurred to her that she may have had a team of brownies living in her home a year or two ago. The snacks had begun to disappear the same time she was convinced her dad had really started to clean up around the place. The moment she went on a diet and stopped bringing sweets into the house, the cleaning suddenly stopped. She just assumed her dad got cranky about the lack of snacks in the house and went on strike. Now little men breaking into her house and cleaning for candy was oddly enough the more sensible option.

The night Gideon and Paz had prepared a plethora of snacks. From the sugariest of snack cakes bought at the supermarket to home baked brownies (That Gideon swore would offend them, but Paz insisted that they'd love the joke). It would be the first of many nights that Paz stayed over at the Mystery Shack. Even if the point was not to interfere with them, it set Gideon's mind at ease to have backup ready. Although when it came down to it, Paz was the one that had trouble sleeping with the sounds of rustling and laughter coming from down the stairs. Why did she decide the spooky attic was the best place to set up her sleeping bag?! That was probably the real reason behind the weird dreams!

Still the spooky attic was looking a lot less spooky when Paz awoke. Most of the dust was cleared, and the entire place looked pristine. The holes in the floor and ceiling were repaired, and the entire place actually looked livable. Paz was quick to shake Gideon awake beside her. The Monster-mon bedsheets were loosely fit over the hastily made bed, torn off by a restless night's sleep.

"Wake up! It's a Summer-mas miracle!" Paz cheered

Gideon rubbed his eyes, trying to shake off the drowsiness. "Summer… mas?" He asked confused.

"Well, it's not July yet, but still! You don't even have to get out of bed to see it!" Paz exclaimed pointing at the ceiling. "They came through alright!"

Gideon scratched his head confused. He thought they were just getting a cleaning service. "Magical little men are roofers as well?"

Paz rolled her eyes. "Makes about as much sense as them being coblers. Come on- let's look at the rest of the house!" She cheered. She'd slept in her jacket and clothes from the previous day just in case it turned out they did have to bust some brownies in the middle of the night.

As they explored each room, they found it cleaned out, all the knick-knacks neatly dusted and stacked into neat manageable piles, the walls were repainted with their original color- minus all the mad scribbles- with even creaky floorboards replaced. There wasn't even a crumb left of any of the deserts.

"Not exactly flashy magic, but it's a start!" Paz exclaimed as she turned on a faucet in the kitchen. Yup- even the running water was coming out a lot more smoothly. And without the brown bits too!

Gideon shook his head. "Are you kidding?! The fact that it was done all quiet-like and all in one night makes it even more magical! This isn't the sort of thing they have to pull out all the stops for to do in one go- this is the kind a thing that happens regularly around these parts! Santa's got nothing on these little guys!"

Even the trash can that had once been filled to the brim with all the various snack cake boxes and brownie mixes had been emptied out. "We gotta make them another round. They deserve a heck of a lot more of a thank you than snacks, but if that's what they want, we'll make them feel welcome." Gideon decided.

Paz gave him a light smile and agreed, nodding her head. Maybe it was that all the magic and wonder of Gravity Falls was a novel experience for him, but it was nice to see that child-like wonder as opposed to the screaming terror. And maybe that's what the brownies wanted- Not some quick and easy payment system, but genuine gratitude for their work.

When Bud awoke, he initially assumed that the kids must have been working all night to get the Shack in ship shape like this. He didn't understand why they spent the previous day whipping up a round of sweets like they were preparing for some kind of party. He didn't want Paz inviting any of her friends over yet when the house was in such a state, but it seemed more like she rounded up volunteers for some kind of midnight beautification session.

"My word! You two must have been up all night!" Bud commented as he entered the kitchen.

Gideon shook his head. "No, pa! It was the brownies! They came in the night, cleaned everything up, and patched up the whole house!" Gideon cheered. He wasn't sure how much his dad would believe him. As much as they both believed in the magic of the Pines Bros circus, seeing it happen as a normal everyday occurrence was a completely different thing.

Bud gave a chuckle, chocking it all up to the kids' active imagination. "If you say so." He said simply, not wanting to crush the kids' dreams. If they wanted to chock their hard work up to woodland creatures, that was up to them.

Yet strangely enough, all the things he planned to do today- from hiring contractors for the roof to getting someone in to adjust the pluming- seemed to have been solved already.

"Uh… what kind of friends did you two invite over?" Bud wondered skeptically as he opened the decades old refrigerator to see that even that was now in working order.

Paz rolled her eyes playfully. "Magical brownies. Don't you have those back in your home town?" Paz teased, acting like it was the most natural thing in the world. Frankly, she didn't realize this much was under the brownies realm of capability either.

Bud shook his head, not sure how much the kids were joking anymore, or what was truly in the realm of possibility. "Well… not exactly." He mumbled trying to make sense of all of this. He just needed to get his mind on something he could understand. Getting his hands busy

"I should get to work on making this place a suitable attraction… Plenty of stuff around here to use along with all the Pines Bros memorabilia I brought with me. And I gotta get to hiring folks to help me run the place… seems like everyone in town wasn't willing to work on anything around here yesterday. Unless you two managed to get around that too?" Bud asked raising an eyebrow toward the kids.

"No, don't think so." Gideon admitted.

"But we can get right on that!" Paz decided. "There's got to be someone in town willing to work cheaply and the Pines wouldn't think of deterring!"

Already Bud thought they'd done more than enough. He thought getting the place cleaned up would take up to a week. Probably would have taken another month for all the other odd jobs like the roof. At this rate, he'd be able to open up by the time the week was out! Why stop when they were on a roll?

Bud scratched the back of his head. "Well… I am going to need at least 3 employees… A cashier, a handyman, and someone for general odd jobs."

Paz nodded determined. "Great! You've already got one right here!" Paz decided. She probably could use a summer job for a little bit of extra income anyways. "Just leave it to us Mr. Gleeful!"

Riding the bus into town, Paz looked over all the forms and work schedules that Mr. Gleeful had handed them. Everything they'd need to quickly interview people and pass their credentials onto Bud who'd make the final decisions.

"Wow, your dad really thought all this out… he already had all the advertisements prepared and everything."

Gideon nodded eagerly. "Summer is the prime tourist season! We wanted to be up and running before July hit. Maybe even sooner now!"

However, that was much easier said than done. Anyone they asked to put a job flyer up for immediately refused. The newspaper even refused to publish their help wanted ad. They started asking around on street corners, and store owners shooed them away for 'loitering'.

Paz glared at a girl scout happily selling cookies in front of a grocery store her and Gideon just got kicked out of. Stupid hypocrisy!

"How much influence does Stanford Pines even have?!" Paz yelled exasperated after an afternoon of no leads.

"Don't know- Snickerdoodle?" Gideon asked offering Paz a bite of the trap he couldn't help caving into.

Paz angrily stuffed her hand into the box and started munching on a cookie. But even sugar couldn't help her out of this funk now.

"We just gotta think outside the box… Think maybe we can hire the gnomes?" Gideon offered.

Paz shrugged, sitting down on the curb. "I don't know… maybe? Kind of worried they'd turn to the Pines and just let them in for whatever plans they have. Maybe if we start getting their trust and making sure they aren't going to weasel on over to the Pines Twins, but for now we need to at least find someone that isn't completely scared of the Pines."

Gideon adjusted the brim of his hat. "I'm sure there's someone in this town that's not under their thumb!"

"Sweet hat kid!" A woman coming out of the store noted pushing a cart full of a bunch of microwave foods, ramen and snacks. "Pines Bros classic- Nice."

Gideon was completely caught off guard by the brunet's complement. As much trouble as Stan's influence was causing them, he couldn't help geeking out about some good old fashion Pines Bros Circus stuff.

"Yup! Just a minute of the classic stuff is worth more than a hundred of the best shows of the modern stuff!" Gideon agreed.

This earned a chuckle out of the newcomer. "I totally get you. It's really hard to find people's shaky family home videos of the stuff, but man is it worth it."

"I know! Their work is the best! They really know how to make you believe in the impossible alright!" Gideon agreed

Paz was ready to groan at hearing them praise the Pines, even if it was their past work. But she then realized that this could be the answer to their problems.

"How would you like to work at an attraction highlighting the spirit of all the original Pines Bros Circus stuff?" Paz was quick to pitch.

The woman let out another chuckle. "Oh man, that would be awesome!" She looked down at the two kids that were suddenly grinning ear to ear. "Wait, you're serious? I was just looking for a summer job! That would be perfect!"

Paz immediately produced an information form from her jacket for the woman to fill out with a pen.

"Wow, instant job interview!" The woman said as she began to fill out the form. "I'm Melody! Oh- it's cool if this is just a summer job, right?"

While Gideon was hoping that their business would last longer than just a few months, hopefully once they got the ball rolling they'd be able to find more people willing to work for them. "Yeah, I suppose that's fine."

It then occurred to Paz why she seemed completely fine with working with them. "Oh! You're from out of town, aren't you?" Paz realized. Of course Mr. Pines wouldn't have thought to call or had any influence over someone that just moved in.

Melody nodded. "Yeah, spending a few months with my grandparents. They'll be thrilled to find out I found a job so quickly!" She explained handing the filled out form back to Paz.

"Uh, might not want to tell them just yet." Gideon insisted, not sure if her grandparents might try and dissuade her from taking the job. Gideon then handed her a sheet with all the callback information and information about the Mystery Shack.

"Ah, yeah! Got to make sure I beat out my competition first!" Melody realized. Wouldn't want to tell her family she got a job when she didn't know for sure yet. "The Mystery Shack, huh? Sounds cool! Can't wait to be part of the Mystery Team! Well, I've got frozens, so I'll call you back later." Melody called out as she began to wheel her cart over to her car, waving back to them as she walked.

"YES!" Paz and Gideon cheered at the same time as they gave each other a high five.

"Wait- Mystery Team?" Gideon question. "Is that a thing?"

Paz shrugged. "Want to make it a thing?"

Gideon scratched his head. "Do we really need a name?"

Paz nodded eagerly "Most definitely! Like Gravi-team Falls! Or Mystery Explorers! The Shack Squad! OH OH OH! We could be the Mystery Tweens!"

"Uh… Mystery Team is suddenly sounding a lot better…"

"MYSTERY TWEENS!" Paz insisted with a big grin on her face.

Even if they didn't get everything they needed together today, the Mystery Shack was almost ready for business, they had a friendly face on their team and they were already off to a great start. This summer was going to be one they wouldn't forget.

* * *

Dv qxphurxv dv wkh olwwoh shrsoh duh lq wkh zrrgv,

L fdq'w wdnh dqbrqh vhulrxvob wkdw zrunv iru ednhg jrrgv

/ Φ \

Veviblmv zodzbh fmwvivhgrnzgvh gsv orggov tfbh

Yfg dsrov gsvb'iv dvzp zolmv, gsvb nzpv tllw zoorvh

* * *

This chapter was a bit difficult to write with all the little things I needed to include. But Gobblewonker should be up next, and hopefully the flow should get back to normal! Please leave your comments on your thoughts so far! It helps get me excited to write when I see what other people think!


	9. Come Sail Away

Most of Paz's days over the past week seemed to have been spent at the Mystery Shack. Her and Bud hadn't exactly set up a salary for when she'd officially start working, but she still came over to rework the old shack into a functioning business. But even if she wasn't helping out, she was eager to be there just so she could figure out what secrets the mysterious old Journal held.

Neither Gideon nor Paz were sure if this Journal was what the Pines were looking for, but they still agreed it was safer to keep it within the walls of the Mystery Shack or physically on them at all times. And seeing as the Pines already tried to ambush Paz once when she was out on her own, it probably wasn't safe with her. For now, they had no idea who Gideon was, so it was better off in his care.

Besides, while Paz was more familiar with the oddities of Gravity Falls, Gideon seemed to have more of a knack for this codebreaking business. He was the kind of kid that thought it was cool to learn Morse code, look up words in dead languages just because they looked interesting, and read old mystery novels. This Journal was the kind of thing he could only dream of finding. They'd find out more about it in his hands.

Although Paz wasn't entirely sure why he was bringing it out with him today

"I thought this was going to be a day off!" Paz exclaimed from the backseat of Bud's old station wagon. "You got to take a breather from all this stuff- you've been at it a lot more than I have, and that's not even including the time when I'm not around."

But Gideon didn't seem to get it. "But this book holds all kinds a' special spells and secrets! This _is_ fun for me!"

"And you need a break every now and then! Some fresh air will do you good!" Paz decided. "Besides, aren't you worried about it getting damaged with all that lake water or something?

Gideon shrugged. "It's stood the test of time already. Besides- look!" He said as he touched his finger to his tongue to get a bit of spit on it. He pressed the glob to the page. The spittle rolled off without leaving a stain or water mark.

"It's waterproof! I figure it's got all kinds a' protective spells on it already!" Gideon showed off.

"Huh, that's useful… how'd you find that out?" Paz wondered.

Gideon wasn't too comfortable with sharing the fact that it had occurred when he'd been so engulfed in reading the Journal, that be brought it with him into the bathroom. One yell from his dad and a startled fumbling of the book later, he was relieved that he wouldn't have to explain to Paz the most embarrassing way on the planet to lose all that valuable knowledge. Multiple Pine Tree air fresheners were still caked between the pages.

"Oh… you know… trial and error." Gideon mumbled.

Luckily his father was there to save him from the embarrassment. "My, this is going to be such a hoot! I haven't had a father-son fishing trip in the longest time! It was so kind of your father to invite us out, Pacifica!"

"My father?" Paz asked immediately getting concerned.

"Why yes! After how much time you've been spending over at our place, I just knew I had to call up your father to thank him and make sure he knew what a treat you've been! I wanted to introduce myself nice and proper- He said he wanted to show us a _real_ Northwest welcome!"

"Oh no…"

"And then he insisted on having us all over on his yacht for the first day of fishing season!" Bud cheered.

Gideon grinned ear to ear at the idea of it. "Wow, Paz! You didn't tell me you were that well off!"

Pacifica smacked herself in the forehead for having it come to this. Frankly, it was her own fault for not clearing things up with both of them. But was it too much to hope for being able to last a month without telling them her entire family history? There would be no avoiding it now.

"We aren't exactly-"

"We're here!" Bud cheered cutting her off before she could explain any further.

The father and son eagerly piled out of the car, excited to be able to go on a fancy boat for the day. However, the small dock of Gravity Falls Lake could hardly handle a large boat let alone a yacht. But they hardly seemed to notice. Bud cheerfully lifted his son up on his shoulders.

"Oh, we're going out to sea! Imagine the things we'll see!" The father and son sang out as if reciting some old camp song despite the fact that the lake was nowhere near the coast line. But they seemed so… well, gleeful! It was hard for Paz to crush their spirits. But she knew her father would do a good job of that soon.

"Not sure if you should get too excited..." Paz began trying to let them down easy.

"Pacifica! What are you doing arriving in such a drab means of transportation!?" A loud and snobby voice sounded out.

Paz tried to sigh and keep her calm, but it seemed like her father was at his worst.

Preston Northewest approached strutting like he was the most important man in the room… or well, lakeside. But his wardrobe told an entirely different story. The suit he wore was old, in tatters with multiple holes torn through it. Any attempt to comb back his hair only resulted in a frayed mess. His chin was plagued by a thin beard that seemed to be more out of forgetting to shave than actually trying to grow one. His eyes looked like they were someplace else, yet he still carried himself as if he was dressed to walk down a red carpet. But really, he only looked like he just dug himself out of a centuries old coffin.

"Dad…" Paz began trying to find the right words to reason with him.

"Don't tell me these two commoners are the ones you've been spending your time with. I assumed you knew how to keep better company than this!"

Gideon scratched his head confused. Paz had seemed a lot more level headed than this. She knew her father probably didn't behave exactly like her, and he did admit it did sound odd when his dad said she had something like a yacht in the family. And the man before him definitely didn't look like he did either.

"Paz, what's going on?" Gideon asked with concern in his voice. He'd been excited about the lake, but now he could see the worry in his friend's eyes. Family for her sure didn't seem to be the same kind of pleasure that it was for him.

"I should be asking the same question! I wouldn't have extended my invitation if I had known the details!" Preston exclaimed, completely ignoring the looks of confusion on the Gleeful's faces

"Maybe we should just go home then." Paz decided hoping to cut her losses. She wanted to have a fun day out on the lake with her new friend, but there'd be no doing that with her father around. She could explain things better to the Gleefuls later.

"Don't be ridiculous, Pacifica. The entire town is expecting our arrival. Probably some ribbon they want us to cut and all that. I can't afford to miss out on a public appearance!"

"That's not all we can't afford…" Paz muttered bitterly.

"What did you just say, young lady?" Preston demanded putting his hands on his hips.

"Just… do we really need to turn this into a scene? Again?"

Both Gleefuls found this hard to watch. Bud didn't like having to get in the middle of a father's parenting, but this man seemed more than a few cowboys short of a rodeo.

"Uh, maybe the girl is right. I'm sure you can settle your differences away-"

"Shut your mouth you redneck trash! You don't know anything of the complex matters of high society!"

A hush was brought to Bud as he tried to fathom how he fell under the category of redneck. He preferred to think of himself as a Southern gentleman!

Preston grabbed his daughter by the wrist, dragging her toward the main gathering of townsfolk. Paz wanted to fight back, but she could see her dad was in one of his fits. She'd have to play this through with him until he decided he had enough hanging around with the 'riff raft'.

Gideon watched sadly as his friend was dragged away. Maybe if this was some kind of monster, it would be easier. But family problems? That was something he couldn't easily get in between.

Still… he had to try. Although… when up on his dad's shoulders like this, he was pretty high up from the ground. Probably break his little neck by jumping into action.

"Uh, Pops? Can you put me down or walk us closer to the rest of the festivities?" Gideon asked nervously.

Bud snapped out of his confused stupor and nodded. "Oh… of course son!" He said eagerly running toward the rest of the townsfolk as fast as he could manage with a kid on his shoulders.

Apparently, it hadn't taken Preston long to cause another scene. But to be fair, it seem to have become commonplace among the townsfolk to make a mockery of the crazy man. He stood out in front of a half sunk, rickety little wooden boat tied up to the dock speaking with a police officer.

"Now officer, clearly something must be done about this heinous act of vandalism. My S.S. Filthy Rich is about to become a permanent resident of this lake, and you won't even consider the possibility of foul play! Do you even know how much a yacht of this caliber is worth? More than you'll ever make in your entire careers- I can assure you that much." Preston insisted.

All the bystanders began gossiping to each other questioning if he was truly serious. But the black haired mustached officer aboard his police boat seemed to keep a straight face despite the ridiculous prospect.

"Sir, if you think this is supposed to be funny then I regret to inform you that I was born with a rare disorder that makes me incapable of experiencing humor and your elaborate joke is lost on me. That rotted piece of wood you call a boat most likely fell apart from old age." The officer assured him.

His blond partner put a hand on his shoulder. "Sherriff Powers, I believe that's local town coot, Preston 'Nutso' Northwest. Either he genuinely believes all of this, or he's been playing a long and clever scam on the entire town."

"Hm… we can't arrest him for that Deputy Trigger…" Powers admitted with his arms crossed. "Do you think the ridicule of the town will discourage this behavior in the future?"

Trigger shrugged. "It is a possibility."

Taking out a loudspeaker, Sherriff Powers addressed the townsfolk "For all of you that wish to do your civic duty and promote peace and order, please laugh at the insane man to shame him into silence!"

The townsfolk didn't need much more of a reason to start pointing and laughing at the already frustrated Preston.

"You'll all be hearing from my lawyers for slander!" Preston threatened the crowd.

Paz was trying her best to remain silent and blend in with the crowd as her father's anger grew. If he was mad now, she did not want to be alone with him when he needed something to take his frustrations out on. Luckily for her, he seemed too angry to even remember he had a daughter at the moment. He began to storm off away from the lake, with many onlookers following him in expectation for the show to continue. You couldn't buy comedy this good! Or at least, not normally in a small town like this.

Bud and Gideon watched as Paz hung her head in shame. It was hard for them to watch. Neither wanted to interfere, but it seemed too bad to leave alone. Bud picked up Gideon off his shoulders and set him down on the ground.

"Why don't you go and go give your friend a few kind words. I'll see if I can maybe talk some sense into her father." Bud suggested. He wasn't really looking forward to talking to the pretentious man, but he could tell Pacifica was a nice kid. After all the help she'd been putting in, he at least owed it to her to give it a shot.

Gideon nodded, although he wasn't sure what he was supposed to say. 'Sorry your dad is off his rocker.' Or how about 'You can't pick your family, but at least you can move out in another 4-6 years'. There just weren't many friendly words out there for this kind of situation.

Gideon walked up to Pacifica who was now sitting at the end of the dock, with her feet dangling over the edge. She looked out at all the happy friends and families in their boats enjoying their day out on the water. As much as she loved all the weird things in Gravity Falls, why couldn't her father be the one thing in her life that was normal?

"Paz…" Gideon began stretching out his arm to put on her shoulder.

"Save it, Gideon. I don't need your pity." Pacifica immediately insisted. Perhaps she was being a bit harsh, but she wasn't really in the mood to deal with anyone right now. She didn't even turn around to look up at him.

Gideon sighed, understanding that feeling. But he didn't like just leaving her like this. "Well, sympathy 'aint the same as pity, is it?"

Paz shrugged. "I don't know, I'm not a thesaurus." She admitted begrudgingly.

Gideon sat down beside her and chuckled. "Well… I just mean… I know what it's like. Someone making a fool out a' your family like that? It's just as bad as getting heckled yourself."

Paz gave a light nod. It didn't exactly make her feel better, but she wasn't going to shoo Gideon away.

"You'd think I'd be used to it by now… but it still gets to me." She admitted scratching her nail into the soggy wooden post.

"I'm sure you've thought 'bout getting him help…"

Paz immediately shook her head. "No way. There isn't a shrink alive that could set his head straight. I've looked in all kinds of books and articles, and I can't even begin to find the kind of crazy he has. And while they're trying to find out what's wrong with him until they claim he's just faking it, there's no way I'd be able to stay with him after he got himself committed."

Gideon scratched the back of his head trying to think of anything he could say to make her feel better. Oh the things he took for granted, like having two parents that loved him and were relatively sane. He didn't dare ask Paz about her mom. The situation on that end probably wasn't much better if she hadn't brought it up. No wonder she'd been spending so much time with them at the Mystery Shack. Didn't look like her home life was worth coming home to.

"Well… if you ever need anything, you know me and my 'Pa are here for you." Gideon mentioned with a faint smile.

"Oh my, isn't that generous of you!" A high pitched voice cried out to the two of them. The pair had gotten so used to all the waves and ships in the background that they hardly noticed one had started pulling up to the dock now. With how large it was, it was amazing they missed it. It wasn't exactly a yacht, but it wasn't as… well, modest as all the other boats in Gravity Falls lake. It certainly looked more like it cost more than what Gideon's dad had paid for the Mystery Shack. And on the bow of the ship, sitting with her feet off the rails was Mabel Pines.

"I don't believe we were properly introduced." Mabel said swinging off the side of the boat and landing on the dock without skipping a step. "Mabel Pines- pleasure to meet you." She said holding her hand out to Gideon.

The young boy was left dumbfounded. He had been more focused on comforting Paz. Plus, didn't she claim that all of the Pines twins were the worst or something like that? Mabel seemed rather friendly to him. He reached out and shook the girl's hand leading to the oddest giddy giggle to escape her lips. With that and the glare coming from Paz, Gideon started to move his hand away but the young Pines had quite the grip on her. It took a few tugs before Gideon got his hand back.

"I'm Gideon… er, nice to meet you too." Gideon said trying to be polite.

"Darn- we missed the spectacle, didn't we?" Dipper Pines called out from above deck as he folded up an old fashion spyglass. "Your father certainly knows how to spice up an event, doesn't he?" Dipper said looking down at Pacifica with a smirk on his face.

Paz folded her arms annoyed. She really did not want to have to deal with them right now.

"So there was blood in the water, and the sharks came out to play." Paz determined.

Mabel rolled her eyes. "Don't be like that dearie. We were just concerned, that's all." Mabel claimed. Although Paz doubted her intentions were pure. After all, she was still batting her eyes at Gideon. There was no way anything good could come out of that.

Dipper climbed down to the side of his ship and examined what had once been the senior Northwest's boat which was now mostly driftwood floating above the water. "There does seem to be something more than the usual wear and tear on the boat the loon was putting up a fuss about… see the markings? This vessel was capsized. And I'm guessing by something large."

Gideon hadn't even thought about the boat Preston was making a fuss about in the first place. It was clear enough that he wasn't right in the head, and with old age being more of a logical cause of destruction, Ockam's razor swung in that direction. But now that Dipper brought attention to it, there did seem to be signs that the boat was tampered with. And he did enjoy himself a good mystery.

"He's right…" Gideon confirmed leaning over the side of the dock to look at the boat. "Maybe your pops wasn't completely wrong!" He wasn't sure how much better it would make her feel, but a sign that her dad wasn't completely off his rocker had to be a good sign.

"Maybe…" Paz said turning her attention more to the boat.

Just then, the dock began to creak and one of the planks under Gideon's feet snapped. Paz was next to Gideon, yet even she didn't seem to react as fast as Mabel did, catching the boy by the arm right as he was about to dive head first into the lake.

Mabel smiled sweetly at Gideon as she pulled him back over the planks. "Watch your step, sweetie."

Gideon gulped at the idea of almost having taken a swim. He really had not been looking forward to being soaking wet all day. "Thanks! Mabel, was it? You sure have good reflexes on you!" He admitted impressed.

Everything about their behavior seemed fishy to Paz. Were they just putting on a show for Gideon who didn't have evidence of what kind of monsters they were yet? She turned back to Dipper who seemed to be fiddling with his bolo tie. She didn't know why, but this all felt planned somehow. They were magicians. Some kind of misdirection or sleight of hand seemed to be in play. But what were they playing at?

Dipper extended his spyglass to get a better look at the ship without leaving his boat. "It looks almost as if a huge bite was taken out of it… some sort of sea monster perhaps?" He said with a playful grin. "Or it could just be someone that wants it to look like the work of a fantastical creature. The case of the screwball's sunken ship… or perhaps the crackpot's capsized craft? What sounds catchier?"

Mabel rolled her eyes at her brother's obsession with these kind of mystery novels. "Either way, we'd be happy to help you get to the bottom of this mystery. But your culprit is most likely already off the shore. It doesn't seem like your vessel is looking too seaworthy." Mabel pointed waving at the broken ship. "My brother and I would be happy to give you two passage aboard the Stan O' War."

Dipper wasn't sure how he felt about spending the afternoon with the Northwest girl, but he couldn't deny the possibilities. "Well, I doubt it's as fun as fishing or wandering aimlessly in the lake, but an old fashioned mystery seems to be a satisfactory way to spend the afternoon."

Gideon had to admit, it did sound like fun. Whether it meant monster hunting or hunting down some culprit, they were offering him a fun afternoon. But Paz made it clear that the Pines weren't to be trusted. All of them. But while Dipper seemed like a jerk, at least Mabel was trying to be friendly.

"Thank ya for your kind offer and all… but maybe now isn't the best time… what do you think, Paz?" Gideon asked. He especially didn't want to go off on an adventure she was uncomfortable with after she had been feeling so low.

Paz scratched the back of her head. It did seem perfect… it would certainly help get her mind off things with her father. And Gideon already looked excited. But it was still hard to trust that they could be alone in the water with the Pines and nothing would go wrong.

"Yo, are we getting more people aboard?" An eager voice asked from behind the vessel's steering wheel. Of course, someone over the age of 18 had to be driving this boat. Soos already drove the twins all around town. It seemed the same was true on the water.

"That's perfect! The more the merrier!" Soos cheered. "Oh man, Mr. Pines is going to be so jealous he didn't come out for this party at sea!"

Dipper really wished Soos hadn't mentioned Stan. He was just starting to get over that let down. He leaned his head over the ship trying to hide his disappointment, but really it just looked more like he was about to throw up. "There you have it, we have the extra room." He grumbled.

Stan rarely missed a fishing day. The man had to be physically incapacitated or incarcerated to pass up a chance. And as much as Dipper would claim to hate the long string of bad jokes, it just didn't feel like summer without their usual trip across the lake on the first day of fishing season. But he'd been busier ever since the Gleefuls moved in. Meaning the Telepathy Twins would just have to find new distractions to keep them occupied.

Paz did admit, she felt safer with Soos around. But did the twins really just want company along with them? It was hard to imagine them as normal kids that just wanted friends to hang out with. Gideon certainly seemed to be willing to give her a chance. Should she give them one too?

…After the gnomes incident? Absolutely not. But she was curious as to what they were playing at. As long as she made sure that she wasn't alone with the two and Soos was around, a trip on the water should be interesting!

"I guess a few hours out on the water could be fun…" Paz admitted.

Gideon grinned ear to ear. The fancy boat trip was back on! Albeit on a less fancy boat than he imagined… and now without his dad too. "Wait, my pops is going to get worried about where I ran off to."

Paz sighed and shook her head. "He went off to talk to my dad, didn't he? He'll certainly still be dealing with him for a couple of hours."

Gideon frowned wondering if his dad bit off more than he could chew. "Still… probably should leave him a note or something." Gideon admitted. Although the only paper he had was in the Journal, and he highly doubted Paz wanted him taking that out around the Pines Twins. "Er, do either of you two have anything I could write on?"

Mabel smiled at Gideon. That gleeful little grin of his was so cute. "Oh, I may have a scrap or two on me." She said pulling out a folded piece of paper from her sleeve and handing it to Gideon.

Gideon nodded, taking the paper. Although it already seemed to have writing on it. 'Do you like me' with the boxes 'Yes, Definitely, and Absolutely!' with hearts drawn all over it. The boxes were blank though. Huh, maybe she had something left over from passing notes in school or something. Gideon shrugged and flipped over the paper, taking a pen from his pocket and writing up a simple note for his dad.

'Paz and I found a ride with some locals and are headed out to sea for a bit. Will hopefully be back soon. –Gideon'

Mabel frowned that Gideon hadn't seemed to have gotten the obvious message, but that innocence made him all the sweeter. This would be a pleasant afternoon.

Soos had been tying the boat up to the dock for their new passengers, but was distracted when he noticed Gideon was leaving a note for his dad.

"Ah, I can do you one better, dog!" Soos said reaching out from the boat, almost falling in the water as he grabbed the pen and paper. After scribbling a few numbers, he passed the pen and paper back to Gideon. "Boom! I've got one of those fancy phones that work out in the middle of dead zones. Perfect for these kind of situations where people go out into the middle of nowhere with little chance of rescue once the signal goes dead! Your dad can reach us when we go out where no man has probably gone often!"

Gideon smiled at the man's thoughtfulness. It made him feel a lot better about just leaving his dad with a note. "Thanks!"

"You're welcome G-dog!" Soos exclaimed.

Dipper observed as Gideon used one of the splinters on a pole to pin his note on the dock. It was a long shot, but the wheels in his head were already turning. The location where the Gleeful boy had been staying all summer, the way his jacket sagged like there was a heavy object in it… were they really this lucky?

"Funny… you have a pen with you, but no paper? You don't have any sort of notepad or say… summer reading that you're taking notes on to go with it?" Dipper mused

Gideon flinched, worried about what he was getting at. "Er, well… you know, lots of people carry a pen for when they have to… you know. Write stuff." There was nothing weird about having a pen on him, right?

Dipper grinned at how easy it seemed to get the boy off balance. This probably wouldn't be too difficult at all. "Of course…"

Dipper watched behind him as Gideon carefully tried to get on the boat without falling in the water again while Pacifica seemed to be fighting back any last minute reservations. Mabel seemed more than happy to assist her newest crush. Perhaps he should give the Northwest girl a little 'welcome aboard' as well.

"Feeling a bit too scared to shove off? You're free to stay on the shore while we give Gleeful here a warm 'Gravity Falls' welcome. I wonder, how much of this place have you really begun to show him so far?" Dipper asked.

But there was no way Paz was having Gideon go off on his own with them. There was no way she was going to take her friend being threatened like that lightly. She answered Dipper by literally hopping on board.

"Oh he's starting to see the kind of weird things around here. I figure it's only a matter of time before he gets a good look at the worst kind of monsters Gravity Falls has to offer." Paz said glaring at Dipper.

Dipper only smirked. Her adversity would make this all the more fun.

"Well then… why don't we give him the grand tour?"

* * *

I ishp nh htrci lvp ebhd. G'lm eovy bx fn tp lvpg hrnc ovj tlgbpj gs jf cyy impae byoth.

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry about that delay! Holiday got me off schedule! But I liked playing around with the more Gravity Falls-esc humor in this chapter while getting a few good character moments in. Hope you enjoyed it!


	10. The Gobblewonker

The choppy waves and wind crashed against the hull of the Stan O' War II as if protesting the monstrous boat's presence in Lake Gravity Falls. Yet the vessel gave little regard to the forces of nature. Its numerous motors sailed the boat swiftly across the lake without an issue.

Gideon sat eagerly at the bow of the ship with his face directly in the breeze, enjoying the high speeds. He'd never been on a boat this huge or fast before. Much preferable to the little dinghies he was used to his father taking him out on. He wasn't poor, but he was certainly anywhere near close to the life of luxury the Pines seemed to lead. He knew he should be more on his guard with Paz's warnings about the Pines family, but man did all that wind on his face feel good!

Too bad not all of it ended up on his face. His prized blue pine tree ball cap flew from his head, soaring behind him. Immediately feeling the loss of the hat from his head, he began to panic. Only as he turned around to see where in the lake it could have landed. Instead he saw Mabel Pines proudly holding the rim of the hat in her hand.

"My, my. You just keep running into little bits of trouble, don't you?" Mabel teased as she brushed her fingers through her hair. The jewel atop her headband gleamed in the sunlight.

On something like a fishing trip, Gideon usually kept his wardrobe casual (Not that he really dressed differently from the t-shirt, vest and shorts he was used to). Yet Mabel seemed to be wearing what looked like some kind of fancy blue jacket, a ruffley shirt underneath, and a skirt with leggings. All of the fabric seemed to be waterproof to the point that she could probably jump in the water for a swim and hop out looking just as pretty as a picture from the moment she walked in. Had to be expensive or designer wear of some kind. It was hard to say if she approached every situation with an extravagant wardrobe, or if Mabel just really enjoyed herself some adventuring out on the lake.

Gideon approached Mabel, embarrassed for being so clumsy with his things. He probably should have kept a better grip on his prized hat.

"Sorry 'bout that. Not used 'ta going this fast." Gideon admitted extending his hand. Although it didn't seem like Mabel was giving up the cap just yet.

"Oh! Thanks for being quick on your toes again! You must have a sharp eye too!" Gideon complemented hoping it would be enough.

Mabel twirled the hat along the center point in the hat. All kinds of romance novels described the sensation of being intoxicated by the lover's scent, falling to lust from just the slightest whiff. The toxic part seemed to be accurate. Mabel was about ready to fall overboard from the pungent scent of the hat. Didn't he ever wash the thing? Or was the small boy just in need of a shower? So much for having a romantic keepsake. Still, she was glad she got her hands on it.

"Why would you want to put it on again so soon?" Mabel asked as she leaned down a little closer to Gideon's level. She was normally pretty short compared to other girls her age. Normally she had to wear high heels just to stay at their level. It was so adorable to have someone shorter than her- even if it was because they were probably a year or two younger than her.

Mabel's finger twisted around one of Gideon's white locks of hair. Most of it was sweaty and pressed down from all that hat hair, but it was still such a unique color. Oh what fun she'd have with it and an hour with a blow drier.

"You have such pretty hair… why would you want to hide it?" Mabel commented.

Gideon bowed his head a bit embarrassed at the mention of his hair and only reached for his hat again.

"I can't say everyone would be inclined to agree with ya." He admitted meekly.

Mabel once again pulled the hat away from him, putting her hands on her hips.

"Why that's ridiculous! Why should you listen to what those idiots think! Has anyone in Gravity Falls been upsetting you? Was it the Northwest girl?" Mabel demanded getting angry at the thought of it.

"No, not at all! Paz has been nothing but a delight!" Gideon immediately insisted. "Just… you know… a lot of the folks back home… they sure get a good laugh at a boy my age with white hair."

Gideon's hand passed through his hair, nervous to be talking about it. There wasn't anything wrong with him per say. He wasn't an albino, there wasn't anything stunting his growth, and he was perfectly healthy. It was just something genetic that occasionally happened a few times on his Ma's side of the family. It wasn't even grey. Just white. Some kind of melanin malfunction.

He had tried dying it once. Brown, just like his Pa'. Although, oddly enough he could see his dad missed the old white color. He enjoyed what made his son special. Said the white hair made him look like some kind of old-timey noble with a powdered wig. That it made him stand out in a crowd. The hair dye didn't change him getting picked on at school either. He still got teased, only this time he got remarks about him being some kind of prissy little primadonna. No matter what he did, it looked like he was going to get picked on. The best he could hope for was to don a hat, lay low, and hope everyone else would forget he was in the room.

Mabel reached over, booping Gideon on the nose. Even when upset, he was so adorable.

"Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore. Gravity Falls is your home now. And if anyone dares to laugh at you again… well, just make sure to point them out to me. And I'll make sure they'll never bother you again."

Mabel Pines had a gleam in her eye that was less akin to a comforting friend, and more like someone about to set the town ablaze. Gideon knew she had been nothing but nice to him all day, and she even looked and sounded like an angel. But something about her was screaming at him to run away as fast as he could.

With her this close and staring into his eyes, he finally got the chance to snatch the hat out of Mabel's hand.

"Uh… I never got a chance to get a good look around the ship! Better take a quick tour while I can!" Gideon insisted as he snuggly tucked his hat back on his head and dashed across the deck.

Mabel had a second of shock and frustration at the idea of Gideon ditching her like that right when they were having a moment! But after giving it a second to process, her lips curled into a smile. She enjoyed a good challenge. Poor thing. He was probably flustered and just as head over heels in love as she was. _'He just doesn't know how to address his feelings'_ She assured herself. By the end of the summer, she knew she'd be able to win him over.

"Slow down! Wouldn't want you falling overboard!" Mabel yelled as she rushed after her future beau.

A blonde watched from the above deck in the ship's "control room". Although there weren't exactly any actual walls or fancy equipment, but man, did Soos treat it like it was the center of a huge operation. He had signal flags lining the railings, instruction manuals and first aid kits stacked behind the steering wheel, and a captain's hat with enough golden braid to give a smaller man a sore neck just wearing the thing. It didn't matter how many times Soos went out on the lake- he always went all out.

But Paz's attention wasn't on Soos- it was on Mabel and Gideon bellow. It was hard to hear what Gideon was saying with the commotion of the wind and waves, but it sure looked like the Pines sister was bullying Gideon by playing keep away.

"Who does she think she is?" Paz demanded as she went toward the stairs to go below deck and give her a piece of her mind.

However, instead she found a book hurtling toward her back that almost knocked her down below. If she hadn't been quick to grab onto the rail, she probably would have been lying flat on the ground.

Turning behind her, she saw Dipper sitting on top of the railing with a smug look on his face. She hadn't even noticed he'd been there with how focused she'd been on Gideon and Mabel.

"You better not have made me risk the spine of a perfectly good book for nothing. It's a first edition." Dipper said as he walked over to pick up his copy of some occult looking book.

"What was that for?!" Paz demanded. Although even crazier was the book he was reading. All kinds of pentagrams and bones decorated the cover. "'Dr. Crackpot's Book of the Damned?' Who'd listen to a guy like that?"

"It's obviously a pseudonym." Dipper said rolling his eyes. He ran his finger across the spine to assess the damage. "And the injury to my poor book was necessary because you were about to do something very stupid."

"Help my friend?" Paz questioned

"Get in the way between my sister and one of her conquests. Trust me, I'm doing you both a favor." Dipper insisted.

Paz put her hands on her hips frustrated. "What, and I'm supposed just let him be the next in line of Mabel's long list of romantic casualties?"

Mabel was a notorious heartbreaker around town. Although with how her ex-boyfriends usually turned out, you had to wonder if the term was used in the literal sense. They'd look like they had the soul sucked out of them for the next few weeks… or months. Depends on how long Mabel had been with them before she got bored and tossed them out to the curb.

"It's better than him ending like those that snubbed her affections entirely." Dipper replied

Paz raised an eyebrow confused. Despite her own suspicions, Mabel was usually pretty popular with the guys.

"Huh? I've never heard of a guy that turned her down."

"Exactly."

A shiver ran through Paz's spine, not wanting to think about it. But was she really supposed to let Gideon sit through the wild ride that was a relationship with Mabel? It was not something he'd survive. At least, not in one piece.

"You're her brother. Shouldn't you already be trying to talk her out of it?" Paz asked.

But Dipper was already starting to get bored of the topic of his sister's love life.

"Why does that make it my problem?" He asked as he began to leaf through the pages of his book again.

"Don't you have some business with the Shack or want to run his family out of town or something? Kind of a conflict of interests there." Paz pointed out.

Dipper shrugged, not bothering to break away from his book. "Whether or not that's true, I couldn't talk Mabel out of it if I wanted to. She's a force of nature when it comes to matters of the heart. You either run for cover, or get blown away."

"Forget that. I'm shutting her down." Paz insisted.

Dipper looked up from his book, but his focus wasn't on Paz. His eyes widened as he seemed to notice something far behind her.

"Soos… shift into the fastest speed this vessel can go immediately." He calmly instructed. But he didn't turn to face him as he backed up towards the ship's speaker system.

Soos turned to Dipper confused. "Why? What's up? Plus, doesn't everyone need to be strapped down for that?"

The roar of a huge creature erupted all around them, answering Soos' question. They couldn't see or figure out where it had come from, but the noise enough was enough to send them into a panic.

"Top speed it is, dawg!" Soos yelled out as he pushed a lever forward.

If Paz thought they were going faster than a normal boat now, the speed the boat shifted into was more intense that she could hope to handle. The motors erupted to life, causing the boat to speed across the lake like a high octane race car. She had to grip onto the railings, and even then she found herself having a hard time keeping balance.

All the while, she tried to look for whatever it was that made the sound, or what Dipper may have seen, but there was nothing in sight.

What she did see was Mabel Pines flying over the boat's rail and crashing into the water.

"Stop the boat! Turn around! Evil twin overboard!" Paz yelled out. She didn't like Mabel, but she wasn't heartless enough to let her get turned into lake monster food.

Her brother didn't seem to share the same sentiment.

"Ignore her Soos. Keep going." Dipper insisted.

Soos wasn't ready to leave a friend behind "But Mabel-"

"-is safer than we are right now. That thing is going to be chasing us, not her. If you trust me, just keep going as far ahead as you can!" Dipper sternly instructed.

Soos kept looking back, but they were too far to even see her by now. He bit his lip, wanting to trust Dipper, but this just seemed too wrong.

"Sorry dude, I just can't leave her hanging like that!" Soos said immediately turning the wheel.

But just as he did, the head of a huge reptilian creature burst out of the water narrowly missing the boat by an inch.

"I told you, keep moving forward!" Dipper shouted angrily.

Soos didn't need to be told twice as he swerved the boat as best as he could out of the creature's attack range, doing his best to prevent looking back. Dipper kept an analyzing gaze on the creature.

"If my suspicions are correct, we're dealing with the Gobblewonker. We need to keep our distance." Dipper said as calmly as he could trying to regain his composure.

"Gobblewonker? You're just making that up." Paz insisted. It wasn't the monster that she was questioning. She could see very well that it was real and existed. But who would even come up with the name? Gobblewonker? That just sounded ridiculous.

"I didn't name it." Dipper shot back.

"Mabel! She was chasing me 'cross the deck! I wasn't looking, and then she just went flying off! What is that thing?!" Gideon shouted as he slid across the ship's railings trying to get closer to the others.

The creature let out another roar. Its bright glowing teal eyes were focused on the littlest one struggling to stay on. It dove beneath the lake once again, sending a rush of heavy waves toward the boat.

Gideon was launched high off of the ship deck, but managed to fly right into the flagpole. If he wasn't so small, it probably would have snapped in half from the impact.

"What's going on?!" Gideon shouted panicked as he clung onto the pole for dear life.

"That, is one of Gravity Falls many majestic residents." Dipper snickered as he held tight onto the ship's console himself. Despite the others panicking and fearing for their lives, Dipper still remained calm. Either he was just that used to facing these kind of things, or he simply didn't care about the outcome.

While this wasn't exactly Paz's first time being chased by a monster, it was the first time she wasn't able to run away on her own two feet. The boat was probably faster than she could swim or run, but that didn't make her feel any more comfortable.

"Then how do we stop it, genius?!" Paz shouted frustrated at Dipper.

"Ah yes, let me just open my mysterious book of supernatural secrets listing off mythical creatures and their weaknesses. Oh darn, I think I left mine at home." Dipper remarked sarcastically as he rolled his eyes.

Gideon on the other hand had exactly the sort of thing with him. He knew that Paz had been suspicious about what the Pines twins might want with it and bringing it out in front of them seemed like a stupid thing to do, but this was an emergency.

Saying a quick prayer, he took a chance and slid down onto the roof of the boat. He didn't have long from when he collided with the roof before he swung down below, smacking down into the captain's room with the others. But he was just more thankful he didn't end up in the water

Tucking himself in a corner, he pulled the tattered Journal out of his vest hoping it would have some sort of way out of this mess.

"I knew it." Dipper whispered under his breath with a confident smirk as he watched Gideon flip frantically though the Journal.

"Gobblewonker… Gobblewonker…" Gideon muttered as he kept looking through all the diagrams or anything on Lake Gravity Falls.

He found some kind of island head, but nothing on the Nessie-like lake monster that was chasing them now. Luckily, he did find something that could help them.

"Right there! The waterfall! There's supposed to be a secret passage! Maybe it won't be able to follow us in there!" Gideon said pointing at the structure up ahead.

Dipper smirked. Exactly the kind of information he could use. This trip was turning out to be extremely promising. Soos turned to Dipper, not sure if he should be taking orders from someone else a second time. But Dipper gave his employee a nod.

"You heard him- To the secret passage!" Dipper ordered.

The Stan O' War II sailed right beneath the water, soaking the vessel. Rather than a cliff's edge to crash into, the area opened up into a hidden tunnel. Unfortunately the distance between the boat and the shallow end and how fast the boat was going, they were quick to run aground.

While the four were already clutching onto the boat for dear life, the bump sent all of them flying at least a few feet.

Dipper's body curved around his chest, clutching his broach like it was a lifeline.

Soos was hunched over the steering wheel, even now still trying to keep control of the vessel even though there was no hope for it on land.

Gideon was hunched over the Journal, not knowing what he'd do with himself if he lost the thing on his first outing out with it.

Paz was shaken up, but was the first to recover from the crash impact. She knew that the monster would get them long before any sort of boat accident would.

Only, the Gobblewonker was just… gone.

It was hard to see beyond the waterfall, but there were no signs of the huge monstrous figure in the distance. The waves were beginning to settle, but it was if the creature had disappeared entirely.

Was there something magical about it not being able to cross waterfalls? Did it not think the opening was big enough to get through and just gave up? Was it not even after them in the first place?

Dipper brushed himself off, trying to look ahead to the cave they found. There wasn't much light in here. Perhaps it would be better to scope out this place when he was on his own later.

Although for now, he just needed to get the boat back in the water. With how far the boat slid in, they'd need much more than the 4 of them pushing. Dipper could manage it on his own, but he rather not do so with their guests. Besides, if this was really the location he was looking for, he didn't want to be snooping around here for long.

"Soos and I will stay with the ship and try and get it back in the water." Dipper instructed. "Northwest, Gleeful- Try and see if there's another exit from this cave in case the creature is waiting for us outside."

"Who elected you leader?" Paz demanded.

"Yeah! And why should you get the cushy job of staying with the boat while we go wandering in the dark 'n spooky cave with probably more monsters in it!" Gideon threw in.

"Because I'm the one that owns the boat." Dipper said rolling his eyes at the simple fact. "Well, my family does. Same thing really."

Paz glared at his snooty attitude, looking down on all of them. "Why don't you go into the cave? Or better yet, how about we all go?" Paz suggested with a bitter tone.

Dipper turned away from them, not caring about their little 'rebellion' as he looked for any sort of light source. "No… don't think I will."

"Alright, then we'll all stay and wait for the monster to get us!" Paz yelled back. This was a life or death situation here! Could he at least try and be a bit more helpful!?

"Uh… maybe if we all tried to calm down and think things through, we could figure out something that will help us all out of this mess." Gideon suggested trying to be helpful.

"Yeah, dudes!" Soos pitched in as well, trying to break apart the fight between Dipper and Paz before it got too heated. "If we start fighting each other, the monsters win!"

"Ah, there it is." Dipper said paying no attention as he pulled out an old gas lantern from bellow one of the floor boards.

"Here's how it's going to go." Dipper instructed flicking a switch, causing the lantern to burst to life. "I will graciously loan you this wonderfully functioning antique and light source for the service of scouting ahead."

"How kind of you." Paz spat out. "Or how about we not split up like idiots. It would be safer for all of us."

"Or… I could just throw you two overboard to fend for yourselves, _without_ any sort of light in which you'll have to scout for a way out of the cave anyways, but this time without the promise of boarding once I have the Stan O' War seaworthy again just in case there is no way out of here."

Paz was ready to strangle Dipper with how stubborn was being. How could he be so calm and uncaring when there was a lake monster outside ready to kill them, and who knew what inside ready to do the same?!

"Fine!" Paz said snatching the lantern from Dipper's hand, resisting the urge not to smash it across his face. "See if we come back if we do find a way out!"

Storming down below deck, she hopped off the deck which was already at least 2-feet deep in the dirt and 3/4ths of the way on shore. How he even planned to get this boat running again was a mystery to her. She probably was better off looking ahead than sticking with this sinking ship. Expecting Gideon was right behind her, she started trying to get a better look at the cave around them.

Soos looked between the kids nervously. He didn't like the idea of sending Gideon and Paz off on their own, but Dipper's plans were usually good ones. All he could do was trust that it would work out better.

"Uh… maybe I should start figuring out if the motors survived the landing." Soos said hopping down to the back of the boat, mostly wanting to get away from this conflict as fast as possible.

Gideon was about to follow Paz, knowing that having a hot head about this wouldn't solve anything, but he could definitely understand what had sparked her temper.

Gideon turned to Dipper before he joined her. "Couldn't you at least try and get along? We're all in the same boat… well, not as much anymore, but you know what I mean."

Dipper eyed Gideon as well as the Journal in his hands. Perhaps he should be more open to adjustments in the plan.

"In this town, you need to know who you can trust. You need to choose your allies wisely." Dipper's gaze shifted to Paz who was waiting on the shore bellow for Gideon to join her.

"Northwest is reckless. It's a miracle she's survived around here this long off of whatever devil's luck keeps her alive. I doubt that it will extend to you. You'll get hurt. Or worse." Dipper warned.

"Well you're not being too kind of a friend yourself here." Gideon pointed out bluntly. What, he was supposed to accept the guy that was ordering him around like a servant over the person that had been nothing but nice to him all week?

"Kindness won't save you in this town. But perhaps a deal might." Dipper's index finger extended toward the Journal in Gideon's hand.

"You hand that over now, and not only can you stay on the boat, but I will ensure you will survive this entire ordeal. Better yet, I can make sure you won't have to worry about any sort of monster or supernatural threat all summer."

Gideon pulled the Journal back, tucking it into his jacket protectively. "How can you promise me that? You couldn't even deal with the Gobblewonker!"

Dipper let out a chuckle. "You really think some monster has been a threat to me? Your new friend has done nothing but panic since we saw it. I've been in control this entire time."

Gideon was nothing but suspicious already, but it didn't sound like pure confidence either. The threat of some huge reptilian undersea monster didn't seem to faze him. Especially considering that for all he knew, his sister just got gobbled up by it. What did he know that Gideon didn't? But it was more than just having a plan.

"What exactly do you have up your sleeve?" Gideon wondered.

He wasn't even considering taking Dipper's offer. But what made him so sure he had the power to fend off the kinds of threats in Gravity Falls?

Dipper's finger brushed against his broach. Was it worth it to show his hand for this chance at the Journal he'd been searching for? If he wanted to, he probably could easily snatch the Journal right out of his hands now. But earn his loyalty, and he might find out if that Journal was the only wonder the Mystery Shack held. No, not loyalty. Fear was much more effective. Better to put him in his place.

"Everything is stacked in my favor. I have knowledge. Wealth. Power. Ask yourself: Do you want to take this golden opportunity to get on my good side?"

The stone that rested on his chest began to glow an eerie teal. Gideon could feel the ground moving from beneath him. No… it wasn't the ground. It was the boat. The deck below began to take on a thin glow of the same color of Dipper's amulet.

The entire vessel shook as it rose above the water and cave's shore. The boat must have weighed at least two tons, and yet through some kind of unnatural power, Dipper Pines was causing it to rise.

"Or do you choose to stand in my way?"

Wkh dpxohwv duh txlwh wkh lqwhuhvwlqj wrro

Exw zlwk d ihz prglilfdwlrqv, L frxog xvh wkhlu srzhu wr uxoh

/ Φ \

Lmv gdrm xszmtvh gsv ylwb, gsv lgsvi gsv nrmw

Yfg rg'h sld gsvb xsllhv gl fhv gsrh kldvi gszg pvvkh gsvn xlmurmvw

* * *

Author's Note: 10 chapters already! Glad to have gotten this far! Also, this cipher may give a hint more of information than usual. I'm curious to see how many people figure out what Dipper and Mabel had planned behind the scenes.


End file.
